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A Brief 



DISCOURSE 



CONCERNING 



Futurities or Things to come, viz. 



The next, or Jecond Coming of^ 

Christ. 
Of xhzThoufandYears of Ch r rst's 

Kingdom. 
Of the Firji Refurreftion. 



* Of the pouring out of the Spirit 
on all Flejh* 
Of the greateft Battle that ever 
was, or (hall be fought in the 
World. 



Of the New Heavens and New [> ^ And many other Things coincident 



Earth ; and of the Burning of 

the Old. 
Of the New Jerufalem. 
Of Gog and Magog. 
Of tRe Calling of the Jews. 



wiiji thefe Things. 

Together with fome ufeful Consi- 
derations upon the whole Dif- 
cqurfe. 

/ ,_ 



Written by [Mr. William Torrey,] 

A very old Man", in continual Expe&ation of hisTranflatioa 
into another Life and World. v 

With a Preface by the Reverend Mr. Prince. 

+AJk of me Things to COME concerning my Sons, an4 
concerning the TVorks of my Hands command ye me. 

Isaiah xlv. 1 1, 
- 'oind he will Jhew you Things to come. Joh. xvi. I } v 

>-■■ ■ i i - ■ - ■ ,.,..■■■« 

Non ejl a literal! Seriptura Jignificationc recedendum f niji evidens aliqua 
necefttas cogat, et Veritas Scripture in ipfd liter d perietitari videtur. 

A _.! 



Axiom. 



-e^ 



B ° s T ° N ^m 

Printed and Sold by Edes and Gill/ at* their Print? 
tag-Office, next to the Prifon, in Queen-Street ^ 1 75 J, 



33m & 

, Ids' 



THE 

P R E F A C E. 






rHE worthy Author ofthefollowingTracl, /^.WilliamToreley, 
was one of the pious and early Settlers of the Mas s achus ett's- 
Colony. Coming over with his Family hither from England, he 
todk up his Reftdence at Weymouth, was doubtlefs one cf the Founders of 
the Church there : was made a Freeman of the Colony on May 18,1 6a2 : 
and infuch Efleem of the good People in his Day, that by their Eleclion 
beferved divers Times as their Deputy among the Reprefentatives of the 
Colony ; by them was chofen their Clerk ; and by the General Court a 
Captain of the Train-band at Weymouth, and CommiflioneryV ihePacc 
with a Power to Marry, <&c. 

- By this Treatife it fe ems— he had been brot up to the Knowledge of the 
Latin Language in England. And he was highly honoured and happy in 
giving his SonS amuel a liberal Education a/ Harvard-College, and in 
having himfucceed the Rev. Mr. Thomas Thacher, as Pafior oftheChurch 
in Weymouth, to the great Satisfaction of the Father ; efpeciallv as his 
Son, even in his Father's Life, became, among the Minifters, one of the 
mojl eminent for Piety, Ability, Wifdom and Efleem, in the Land. 

And lefi Ifhould not live to reach his proper Place in the New-England- 
Annals, W the Memory of ' fo extraordinary a Perfonfhould fail amoner 
us s Iwouldfeize this Occafwn to leave afhort Hiflory concerning him? 

Ifuppofe he was ad?nitted /'/^Harvard- College about i6$o,and fhould, 
According to the preceedingCuflom, have taken his firftDegree in three Years! 
But theCorporation making aLaw that the Scholars fhouldfludy at College 
four Years before they commenced Batchelors in Arts ; feveral Scholars tho y 
they were accounted as good as any before them, and I fuppofe */* different 
Claffes, went off, and never took any Degree at all. There were at leafi 
Five of them, who after made a very Jhining Figure in New-England • 
viz.Gov. JofiahWinflow, /^Vtf^Mr.SamuelTorrey; the Rev.Mr.lchz- 
bodWifwall 0/Duxbury, Agent for Plymouth-Colony at theCourt Q f 
England upon the Revolution \ the Rev. Mr. Samuel Wakeman of Fair- 
field : 



ii PREFACE. 

field ; and the Rev. Mr. Brimfmead of Marlborough : %oh.o would all 
have been a great Honour to our Harvard- Catalogue ; and I could wify 
their Names might be yet inferted, as educated there and [ qualified 'for 'their 
Firji Degree, tho diverted from it. 

Tho Mr. Torrey preach d at Weymouth in the Abfence oftheirPaflor 
Mr. Thacher, yet it feems he was nit ordained their Pajlor till 1656. 
By the Choice of the General Court, he preached three General Election 
Sermons ;viz. May, 27. 1674, entitled — AnExortation to Reformation ; 
May 16. 1683, entitled — A Plea for the Life of Dying Religion ; and 
May 29, 1695, entitled — Man's Extremity, God's Opportunity : which 
were all very pungent Difcourfies, and Printed at their Defire, to the great 
Acceptance of the pious People. Upon the Death of Prefident Rogers in 
1684, He was chofen to fucceed Him ? but excused Him/elf 

And as my Parents had a high Veneration for Him, and he had received 
them into his Friendjhip ; for the Benefit of Learning and Religion, when 
I was loTears of ' Age, they fent me 4 £ Miles from their Houfe /^Sandwich, 
t? enjoy the great Privilege of living with Him ; and he. afterwards al- 
ways kindly received me at his Houfe, where I us'd to call, m my Going 
to and Returning from College ; I can write of Him from my per final 
Acquaintance with him. 

Being of a tall and proper Stature, excellent hit el I e final Powers and 
Accompiifhmenti, and of great andfeady Sanctity, Solidity and Majejly 
, in his Co ante nance and Converfation, Hejlruck all about Him with Jingular 
Reverence ; tho' at feafonable Intervals, as at the Table ^ and when his 
Friends came to vifii .Him, He would be innocently witty and chearful ; 
bu t ever mixed agr cable Injlruclion with other Entertainment and Diver- 
* /ion. He feem d fiuperior to all the M'mifters who came to fee Him, who 
behaved towards Him "with diftinguijhing Deference. And he was a Per- 
fon of fuch deep and extenfive Views, that in Pub lick Affairs of great 
Difficulty, the Governor, Dep. Governor and Council of the Colony us'd 
to fend to h'wi, tho" 15 Miles off, (with fime other elderly and judicious 
jyiiniflers in and near Bofton) to help them with his wife Obfervations and 
• Advices. 

His Prayers both in the Family and Publick, and his Sermons were 
were very fcriptural, experimental, pathetical, fenfibly flowing from a 
warm and pious Heart, and with wondrous Freedom and Variety. When 
He treated on awful Subjects, it was with mojl awakening Solemnity : 
but otherwifie He ufiually exprefs'd H'mfelf with the mojl tender and mov- 
ing Affeclion. When Hefaw any Fault in any of his Family ; He would 
firjl only look with a holy and awful Difpleafure, neither expofing nor 
rebuking- — / believe He never ft ruck any Perfon in his Life — a Look was 
Terror and Reproof enough — but then take us alone into his Study, and 
fpeak with fuch Tendernejs and Tears as to milt us down in a Moment. 

h 



P RE F AC E. iii 

In his Family ^orfhip, He would often Pray affectionately for every 
Ferfon by Name, or by fuch Defcription as we all knew, extreamly fuitable 
to our various Cafes, which wonderfully hound us to Him ; as alfi 
for others ocealiOnally there, and in a very Jir iking Manner, And I 
ffijail never fir get the moving Exor tat ions, Prayers and Tears He us'd to 
pour out among, the Children, at their Catechizing a Monday-Mornings at 
&m-nie in the Meeting- lioufe. Ncr had he any affecled Tone ; but all 
his Pronunciation was perfectly agr cable to the Nature of the Things deli- 
vered, -and jo as to engage the moft lively Attention. 

In Converfaiion with the late Honourable a?id learned lawyer John 
Read, Efq^—as I happened to fpeak of wy living with the Rev. Mr. 
Torrey of Weymouth \ He immediately faid — * Mr. Torre y ! That 
* was the nkfl wonderful Man in Prayer I ever heard : When I was 



Setter Sophifter at College in 1696, there being a Day of Prayer kept 




1 befi^es a Sermon by a third in the Forenoon ; and the like in the After- 

* noon : and then Mr. Torrey flood up and pray d near Two Hours : 
c But all bis Prayer fe intirely new and various without Tautologies, fo 

* exceeding pertinent, fo regular, fo natural, fofree, lively and affett- 




upon them : but the Time obliged Him to chfe, to our Regret, 
could have gladly heard Him an Hour longer ; His Prayers fo wm- 
d erf uuy h enlivened and mood the Congregation, that we fee??id not to 
1 bejfenfble.ofthe Time's el apfing till he had fnifloed" And fuch ex~ 
trWrftihary Talents were the Reafon,why as I have heard, the AfTociation 
us'd to appoint Him to bring up the Rear of their Religious Exercifes both 
in P ab lick and Private. 

The Wife of his Youth was a Laughter of Mr. Secretary Rawfon : 
and thd > He never had any Offspring, ytt over Her Grave He ere tied a 
handfome Monument. There was as I remember, a fingular Ejieem and 
Intimacy between Him and Lieut. Governor Stoughton, the Honourable 
thief JuJIice Samuel Sewall, Efy; the Rev. Mr. Jofhua Moody, the Rev. 
Mr. I&ce Prefident Willard, the Rev. Mr. Hobart of Newtown, and the 
Rev. Mr. Thacher of Milton. 

In the J3ofton News-Letter of Monday April 28, 1707, we have the 
following Article — * Weymouth, April 24, Yefterday was interr'd Here 

* the Reverend Mr .Samuel To r-r"E y , Tel low »f Harvard College, and 
f Pafier of the Church in this Town : who Died on Monday laft ; hav- 

* *P£ Preached on the Publick Faft the Wednefday before ; was entering 
4 m tlA ySth Tear of his Age, and in the Fifty firit Tear of his Minifiry ; 

4 leaving 



IV 



PREFACE. 



« leaving behind Him the Char after of a very laborious 9 faithful \ learned 
( and pious Minifter of the G of pel' Which concife and exacl Account I 
have Reafon to think was drawn up by his above-mention d intimate and 
dear Friend the Honourable Judge Sewall : who, tis likely , with theRev. 
Mr. Pemberton and others of Bofton, as well as the Towns near Wey- 
mouth, attended his Funeral : For Mr. Pemberton had a great Venera- 
tion of Him, whom I have feen at his Houfe and Preaching his Publick 
Letture. And in his Funeral Sermon on the Rev. Mr. Willard in Sep- 
tember following, could not forbear mentioning the Tears fcarcely dried 
up for the Lofs of Mr. Torrey. 

/ might fay much more ; but the Page refrains me. 

And as for this Treatife of bis honoured Father — the ferious and ju- 
dicious Reader will quickly fee fuch a great and accurate Acquaintance 
with the Scriptures ; and fuch a Vein of natural, connetled and clear 
Reafoning from them, exprefs'd in fuch a modefl, pure and eafy Stile ; as 
cannot but both p leaf and move Him : and at the fame Time give a lively 
Inftance of what eminent Men of the civil Order came over hither and 
adorned our New -England Churches above 70 Tears ago. 

The mofl material Miftake in the Treatife feenu to be — about the Go (J 
and Magog in Rev. xx ; whom for near 40 Years I have been more and 
more inclind to think will be The Wicked raifed at the End of The 
Thousand Years : whofo rancour* d and malicious Spirits, with all the 
Devils then brought out of the dark Abyfs together ', pofeffing, infatuating 
and enflaming them 9 will be permitted to rage again/! theSaints for a very 
little Scafon, //// the General Judgment comes on and quells them : and 
at the End ^fthat greatDay, theFire of God fhall come down and drive 
them all together into the horrible Lake below. 

But may we then be with Christ in the happy City of the Saints 
afcending to the World above 



April 2, 

1757- 

T. Prince* 



THE 



[ i 3 



THE 

AUTHOR* 

PREFACE. 



To the Reader, 

EADER, If thou begin to read ; read through and pais no 

Cenfurc on any Thing, 'till thou haft read every Thing. 

'Tis not Wifdom to judge of a Matter, before we hear it ; 

and if it be not Wifdom, 'tis Shame and Folly, Prov. 18. 

It may be thou wilt fay as thofe did, Acts 17, What will 
this Babbler fay P Thou bringeft ft range Things to our Ears ; to tell 
us of Chriffs Coming before the general Judgment y and of a firft Rt- 
furreclion before all be raifed ; and of Saints reigning a Thoufand Tears 
upon Earth ; and of a new Heaven and a new Earthy and of the burning 
of the Old ; and of a great many other new Things which we ne- 
ver heard of before ; we would fain know what they mean. I truft it 
will appear they are not new, but old ; they may be new to fome Men, 
but I cannot fay 'tis their Honour ; and though thefe THngs be not ac- 
counted as Truths with fi?ne Men now ; yet not with all ; 'tis more 
than poffible they will appear to be fo when I (hall be here no more. But 
'tis not a new Thing to mock at the Refurreftisn of the Dead, as they 
did, Acls jJ. 32 ; nor to feoff at the Coming ofChrift, as thofe 2 Pet. 
3,4. But, Be not Mockers, LJI your Bands be made fir ong. Why mould 
it be tho't incredible that God will raife fome fro <h the dead before others •, 
or that Chrift will cowe before fome Men look for him ? The Refurreclion 

a a ef 




ii The A U T H O R's Preface. 

ofChriJl feemed to the Apoflles themfelves but as idle Tales, whe» they 
firft he^rd of it ; Lake 2 4. 11. And though Chrift himfelf had told them 
of it bHfore,— ver, 7. All Things will fcem new, .to fuch as never faw or 
heard of them before : And there will be a Time when all Things mail 
be made new, Rev. 21. 5. And there is a Treafury which fome Men 
have, in which are Things new as well as old. 

And now it may poflibly be, that fome are of a quite contrary Mind ; 
and will fay that here is nothing new, but what hath been faid over and 
over by others, and that long ago. But what hath been faid by others 
every one doth not know ; and it may be, here may be fome Things faid 
which have not been faid by others that I know of. But let it be granted 
that others have written of thefc Things, and have been of thefe Opini- 
ons : And if fo, methinks it mould gain the more Reputation, and be the 
better credited in the World by them that are wife. 

Yea, but fo?ne of thofe who held thefe Opinions have been foully mif- 
taken in fome other Things ', and therefore little Heed is to be given to 
them. 'Tis poffible it may be fo : (humanum eft err are) who durft to 
caft the firft Stone at them I Neither are fome Failings in Men, Rules to 
judge of Truth and Error : To the Law and to the Tefimony, was the 
good old Way : Detraction from fome Men will add nothing to the* 
Detractors. 

Some others refufe to fludy Prophefy, as being too high and too hard 
for them to underftand ; and many that have expounded Prophefy have 
been miftaken : There is a Lion in the Sluggard's Way. 'Tis true, there 
are fome Things in the Prophets hard to be underftood ; and fo there are 
in Paul's Epiftles, as Peter tells us ; and yet being given by Infpiration, 
are profitable. And as to Prophesy, We fhould do well to give Heed 
to it, as to a Light Jhining in a dark Place, 2 Pet. 1. 19. And they are 
pronounced blejfed that read and hear Prophefy, Rev. 1.3. Thefe will 
lofe the Marrow, rather than take Pains to break the Bones. 

I know 'tis beyond what any Man is able clearly to determine allMat- 
ters and Things relating to what is here written, and to anfwer all Quef- 
tions concerning the fame ; yet by runing to and fro, Knowledge fhall 
be increafed, Dan. 12.4. And what if I (a poor lame Man) run alfo ? 
But the Wife fhall tinderjland, ver. 10. 

Yea, but other Matters and Things are of higher Concernment than 
thefe. To fuch I fay, tho' fome Things may be of higher Concernment 
than others ; yet no Part of Truth but is of Concernment : And he ref- 
lects not any Part of Truth as he ought, that hath not refpect to every 
Part of it : And he that thinks the fubject Matters of this Difcourfe are 
of little Concernment, will be found to be miftaken. 

'Tis more than poffible, that this Script may fall into the Hands of 
fome that arc eminent in their own Underitandings, and are very fenfible 
of their own Sufficiency and Abilities in thefc Matters ; who have read 

thefc 



The A U T H O R's Preface, iii 

thefe and thofe learned Men, that are of other Opinions ; call this and 
that Man Mailer ; (a Vanity reproved by the Apoftle, i Cor. i . 1 3 ; yea 
by Chrift himfelf ) and fo conceive they are able (ex teinpore) to give a 
full and clear anfvver to all thefe Things, and are refolved to enquire no 
further, nor to fearch the Scriptures whether it be fo or no. There is 
more Hope of fome others than of thefe. Let fuch know that the Au- 
thors quoted in Favour of what is here written, are infallible > and cannot 
err : A Catalogue of whom are to be feen at the End of this Manufcript. 

But fome others will fay that this is an immethodical Thing, and done 
by an inconfiderable Perfon. I readily comply with thofe that fo think, 
and that it may want that which is called Method ; if any do not like it, 
I cannot help it : I had no Scheme of Things in my Head, when I firft 
began : You have it as I had it. Befides, I do not pretend any Thing 
to human Learning, being much a Stranger to it : What Time I have 
fpent about thefeThings.have been fhort Interims pincht out of my other 
Occafions : And it may be, if it were to be done again, it might be 
other wife. 

I might mention fome others, not a few, who are of Gallies Mind, 
that care for ?ione of thefe Thi?ig^ having other Things to care for, look- 
ing on them as cunningly devifed Fables. I have nothing to fay to fuch 
carelefs ones,but this ; that Chrift will care as little for them anotherDay. 

It may be I have faid too much already to the Reader, and more than 
a wife Man would have faid ; and more than I mould have faid, had 
not there been fome NeceiTity of it. But I have done, when I have told 
you that I am a very old Man, and very near another World ; having 
lived far beyond the dated Age of Man, and do not know whether I fhall 
be able to fpeak when I come to die ; and therefore fhall leave this be- 
hind me, which will fpeak when I fhall fpeak here no more ; penned 
partly for my own Satisfaction, and partly with Rcfpecl to fome of mine, 
whole Salvation I am caring for,and am willing they fhould be acquainted 
with fuch Truths as thefe are. 'Tis poffible, and more than poflible, 
that I may be miftaken in fome Things here written ; my Way being 
little (if not too little) trodden by others. But if fo, being made fenfiblc 
of it, I fhall not be backward to acknowledge my Failings. But 'tis no 
good Logick, nor will it be a convincing Argument to me, to fay, that 
what is here written is not fo. If fuch anAnfwer would fuffice,allDifputes 
would foon be ended ; and it might poffibly fatisfy all but fuch as have 
their Eyes in their Heads. And if thefe be not Truths which are here af- 
ferted, or propofed to Confideration ; thofe that are of another Opinion, 
may do well to let us underftand our Miftakes, and declare their own 
Sentiments herein. 



w. r. 



Of the Coming of Christ. 




matt. ixiv. 3. 

TetluS) when Jhall thefe Things be f And 
what JJoall be the Sign of thy Comings 
and of the E?id of the World f 

^HESE Words contain three Que fl ions propofed by 
the Difciples to Chrift for Refblution ; (1) zvhen 
Jhall thefe Things be ? which Words refer to the 
T>eftruftion of the Temple, and City : (2) What 
Jhall be the Signs of thy Coming ? This Queftion feems 
to be grounded upon the lajl Verfe of the former Chapter ; 
ye Jhall not fee me henceforth, till &c. implying a Time 
wherein the Jews fliould fee Chrift again vifibly ; when 
they fhould fay, Bleffed is he that comes in the Name of the 
Lord. The (3) Queftion was about theEnd of the World, 
when that Jhould be ? and what m Signs would precede f 
That the World Ihould have anEnd, Chrift had told them, 
Mat. 13. 40. Now that thefe are three difiinSt Queflions, 
is evident by three diflinB Jdnfwers which Chrift makes to 
the Difciples. Yfofirfl*Anfwer, concerning the Deftruc- 
tion of the Temple, begins with a Caution, ver. 4, Take 
Heed that no Man deceive you ; and afterwards defcribes 
the Mifery of that Nation in many Particulars, as Signs and 

Forerunners 



2 Of the Signs of Chrift" s Coming. 

Forerunners of their Ruin, unto ver. 23. See Luke 21.20. 
But this being paft, no Notice fhall be t3ken of it here. 
The jinfwer to the fecond Queftion begins at the 2 3 ver. 
of this Chap, and continues to the 3 1 ver. of the 25 Chap. 
and from thence to the End, we have a Defcription of the 
general Judgment, and of the End of the World : But no 
Signs preceding either there, or any where elfe in Scripture, 
that this Writer knows. 

The main "Thing intended in this Script, is mo deftly 
to enquire {not pofitively to conclude any Thing) concerning 
a right Underftanding of the fecond Queftion, and the An- 
fiuer of Chrift thereunto, viz. What Kind of Coming of 
Chrift is here to he underftood f And here we muft know, 
that there are more Comings of Chrift than tzvo. There is 
a fpiritual Coming in theMiniftry. Chrift came and preach- 
ed in the Miniftry of Noah, 1 Pet. 3 ; and by theMiniftry 
of Paul, Eph. 2.17. There is alfo a providential Coming 
of Chrift in ftupendous Providences : and it may be of this 
Coming James fpeaks Chap. <$. 8 ; the Coming of the Lord 
drazvs nigh. Neither of thefe feems to be meant here ; 
nor will the Signs bid down of the Coming of Chrift agree 
to either of them. For firft, it cannot be. meant of his 
Coming in the Gofpel fpiritually : for fo he hath been 
always Coming, and will be to the End of the World ; and' 
no Signs can be given of this Coming, The like may be 
faid concerning his Coming in extraordinary Providences. 

Other Comings of Chrift might be mentioned ; but this 
Coming of Chrift feems to be a perfonal Coming : and 
therefore tis faid, they fball fee the Son of Man Coming, viz. 
perfonally. Chrift is feldom, if ever, ftiled the Son of Man 
in any other Coming. Again tis faid, he comet h in the 
Clouds of Heaven. Dan. 7. 13, One like the Son of Man, 
came with the Clouds of Heaven : Rev. 1.7, Behold he 
cometh with Clouds and every Eye fball fee him, and they 
that have pierced him, viz. the Jews, Zech. 12. 10. This 
Defcription of Chrift's Coming in the Clouds of Heaven Co 

often 



Of the Signs of Chrift' s Coming. 3 

often mentioned, cannot be underftood of his Coming in 
the GofpeL But it may be faid, by Clouds may be under- 
ftood his Ordinances ; as in Ifai. 5. 6. / will command the 
Clouds that they rain no more Rain upon it. To which it 
is anfwered ; 'tis not faid there, the Clouds of Heaven, as in 
the fore-mentioned Texts. Secondly, tis anfwered, that 
Clouds are fovProteSfion from Danger, Exod. 14. 19 ; Ifai. 
4. 5, for a Defence upon the Glory : and fo it may be 
well underftood here. But, if this fatisfy not, we muft 
know, that parabolical Divinity is not argumentative againft 
plain "Texts of Scripture ; and we may not forfake the 
literal Interpretation, where tis not contrary to the Analogy 
of Faith. 

Let us confider a little further of fbme of the Signs 
foregoing this Coming of Chnft, and fee how they will agree 
with any other Coming but a perfonal Coming. For the 
Suddennefs of it is compared to Lightening which is mod 
quick, vifible, and alfo terrible, ver. 27. defcribed alfo by 
gathering together of the Eagles, ver. 28. It cannot be un- 
derftood of the Roman Eagles, called /£<? .Abomination of 
'Deflation : For that was paft long ago before theDeftruc- 
tion of the Temple > ver. 15. and therefore fuch an Inter- 
pretation is foreign from the meaning of that Text. By 
Eagles therefore are to be underftood£tf//?/J" rather : By the 
Carcafs, or Body, z%Euke renders it, Chap. 1 7. ver. 24 — 37. 
is to be underftood Chrift : and the Apoftle 2 Thef. 1.3. 
(peaking of this Coming of Chrifl, fpeaks alfo of our ga- 
thering together to him ; foretold by Jacob long before his 
Incarriation, Gen. 49. 10. To himfhall the gathering of the 
People be : and thePJalmifl fpeaking of fuch a fiery tempef- 
tuous Time as is like to be at this Coming of Chrift, tells 
us, that God calls to the Heavens above and to the Earth 
to gather together his Saints, Pfal. 50. 3,4: and in wr.g 1. 
of this Chap, tis faid he fball fend his L4ngels with a great 
Sound of a Trumpet, to gather together his EleSl from one 
End of Heaven tQ the other : which it may be is the fame 

fpoken 



4 Of the Signs of drift's Coming. 

fpoken of, Ifai. 27. 12, 13. when the great Trumpet fliall 
be blown, and the Children of Jfrael which are ready to« 
periih in the Land of ' Afyria fliall be gathered one by one, 
andjhall tvorfhif the Lord in the holy Mount ofjerufalem. 
Now, tis probable thefe Gatherings together will be of all 
Elect Jews and Gentiles ; done partly by a Sight of our 
Lord Jefus Chrift, and partly by the Miniflry of Man ; 
of which we may poffibly fpeak more fully hereafter. 

Another Sign of Chrift's Coming is ; The Sun Jhall be 
darkned, and the Moon not give her Light, end the Stars fall 
from Heaven, &c. Let us confider here, what may be meant 
by Sun, Moon and Stars, and then fee how tis a Sign of 
Chrift's Coming in the Gofpel. There are fome that un- 
derftand it literally, that thefe celeftial Bodies fhould be 
darkened by frequent Eclipfes, and that the Stars mould 
really fall to the Earth. But we knew that Eclipfes are 
ordinary and common Things, and are, and have been 
in all Ages, and are produced by natural Caufes ; and there- 
fore thh Co underftood cannot be a Sign of Chrift's Com- 
ing in the Gofpel, or any other Way : much lefs by falling 
of Stars to the Earth, which is a Thing impoffible ; the 
Diameter of the Earth not being able to contain one Star. 
Befides, they are by an Ordinance of Heaven fet to give 
Light to the Earth, Gen. 1. 18 : and thofe Ordinances 
cannot be changed, Jer. 31. 36: therefore fomething 
elfe is here meant. Let us fee what the Scripture fpeaks 
to this. Thofe Words then are metaphorically to be un- 
derftood : For there are other Suns, Moons & Stars, which 
we read of in Scripture. Gen. 37.9, 10. There is men- 
tion made of ,Sun, Moon and Stars ■: where Superiors both 
fupreme and fubordinate are reprefented under that Notion 
of Sun, Moan and Stars. It may alfo fignify the Fall and 
Ruin of States, Monarchs & Monarchy s. Hence we read 
at the Fall of the Babylonian Monarchy ; of the darkning 
of the Sun, and the Moon not giving her Light ,_ nor the 
Stars of Heaven, nor the ConJJe Hat ions thereof Jfau 13.10- 

and 



Of the Signs of ChriJTs Coming. 5 

and Chap. 14. 12, the King of Babylon is faid to fall from 
Heaven , and calfd Lucifer, Son of the Morning. The 
Fall of Idumea is reprefented to us by the Hof of Heaven 
being diffolved, i. e. Sun Moon and Stars being darkened. 
Hence we read, Rev. 6, at the opening of thtfixth Seal, of 
theSuns becoming black asSackcloth^nd the Moon as Blood: 
which fome understand of the Fall of the Roman Pagan 
Empire : And Chap. 8. 12, at another remarkable Period 
we read of a third Part of theSun, Moon and Stars dark- 
ened : And Chap. 16. 8, the fourth .^ingel. poured out a 
Vial on the Sun, i. e. the antichrijlian State, or fome eminent 
Per fori in it. We read alfo in Joel 3. 15, of the Sun and 
Moon being darkened, and the Stars withdrawing their 
Light : and Chap. 2. 31, that the Sunjbali be turned intd 
'Darknefs, and the Moon into Blood : And when will this: 
be? JVhen he will gather all Nations into the Valley of 
Jehofbaphat, and plead with them there, both Pagan and an- 
tichriftian Enemies : this feems to be their great and laft 
Overthrow at Armageddon ; when the Kings of the Earth' 
and of the whole World fhall be gathered together to the 
Battle of that great T^ay of God Almighty. Hitherto may 
be referred that in PfaL 1 1 o. 6 ; when he fhall judge among 
the Heathen, and f 11 the Places with dead Bodies, and fhall 
vjound the Heads over many Countries. And it may be tis 
then, they, L e. the Jews fhall go forth and look on the 
Car cafes of the Men that have tratifgrejfed again (I God, Ifar. 
66. 24 ; for then by Fire and Sword %vill tht Lord pUact 
with all Flefh, ver. 1 6. A Scheme of this Battle we have 
in Ezekiel Chap. 38 & 39 : andExpreffions of the famelm-* 
port of pleading againjl them withSzvord& Peflilence, ani 
Blood and Fire ; and is all one with that mentioned R.ev, 
19, and Joel 2. And when this fhall be, it will be a dark 
and bloody World indeed ; when thefeSuns and Moons are' 
thus darkened and turned into Blood, and fo many Stars of 
the firft Magnitude fall. But when will this be ? It will 
be in the latter < Days,\QT t ii. and yet long before the lajVDay. 

B It 



6 Of the Sign of Chrifis Coming. 

It will be at or about the Calling of the Jews, Joel 3. 1 ; 
and fpoke of, Ezekiel 3 7 , immediately before this great 
Peftru&ion : then thefe Suns and Moons will be afhamed 
and confounded, when theLordofHoftsfhall reign in Mount 
Sion and in Jerufalem, and before his jintients glorioufly, 
Jiai. 24. Thus we fee what may be meant in this Text by 
Sun Moon and Stars, and what by being darkened ; by 
comparing it with other Scriptures. Now let it be confi- 
dered how well this Sign will agree with the Coming of 
Chrift in the Gofpel. 

The next Sign to be taken Notice of as preceding the 
Coming of Chrift, is, touching the Time ; it will be ztfuch 
a Time as is unknown to Men or ^Angels. Hence he is laid 
to come af a Thief Rev. 16. 15; &Chap. 3.3, Behold I 
come as a Thief \ And he threatned to come to the Church 
of Sardis as a Thief and thou fhalt not know in what Hour 
I will come upon thee. This Coming, will be fee 'ret ly, fud- 
denly, unexpectedly, and unavoidably. Furthermore, it will 
be a Time of general and deep Security ; when Men fhall 
fay Peace and Safety : A Time of Senfuality ; as in the 
T)ays ^Noah and Lott, Eating and Drinking, Marrying 
and giving in Marriage : A fleepy World ; wife Virgins 
as well as foolifh, /lumbering andfeeping,whenChr\{\. comes 
as a Bridegroom ; which is not at the general Judgment ; 
for the wife Virgins will not then be afleep ; neither will it 
then be a Time of general Security andSenfuality, as it was 
in. the Days of Noah and Lott, as we fliall ifeow hereafter : 
And the Signs of Chrift's Coming extend to the 30th Ver. 
of Chap. 25th ; when the Son of Man cometh,jball he find 
Faith on Earth. 

Now let him that Readeth underftand and confider whe- 
ther thefe Signs > or any other, will agree with ChrifFs 
coming in the Gofpel 

But becaufe mojl Men underftand this Coming to be to 
the lafl Judgment, and do grant it to be a perfonal Com- 
ing ; let us now confider how all thefe Signs will agree,and 

be 



Of the Thoufa?td Yeai'S. 7 

be Forerunners of (Thrift's coming to the Jaft Judgment : 
And which Coming is /poken of Chap. 25, from Ver. 30th 
to the End ; or whether there be any Signs at all menti- 
oned in the Scripture of his coming to the laft Judgment. 

And here of Neceffity, fomething muft be fpoken of the 
Thousands Years, and of theState of Things here, during 
that Time ; as alfo of thefirft RefurreSlion^ the Kingdom 
of 'Cbrift in this World, Rev. 20, and other Things coin-, 
cident. And, 

(Firjl,) Whether there befuch a Term of Time or no, 
as the Thoufands Tears ; (Secondly,) Whether it be paft 
or future ; and (Thirdly.) The Time when it doth begin, or 
from vjhat Period it doth commence. 

I. To thefirft of thefe, that there is fuch a Thing or 
Term of Time, is that which hath been aflerted by Men of 
Note in all Ages fince the primative Times ; a Catalogue 
of whom might eafily be produced if Need were. But this 
Do&rine of theThoufandTear s needs nohurnanTeftimony : 
We have a more fure Word of Prophefy, which we fhould 
do well to give Heed unto. In Rev. 20, it is exprefs'd no 
lefs thznfveTimes over, a Thou (and Years, and TheTbou- 
fand Tears , with an Emphalis. And the Apoftle Peter f 
Chap. 2.3, fpeaking o£ the T)ay of the Lord, and Perdition 
of ungodly Men ; tells us, that one T)ay with the Lord is a 
Thoufand Tears : which fome think refers to this Time : 
But whether they do or no,we muft and ought to believe it : 
for this is one of thofe Sayings that is faithful and true.'Rev. 
2 2. ver. 6 ; and if any Afan fhall fay ctherwife, and take away 
from the Words of this Prophefy, God fhall take away his 
Part out of the Book of Life. 

Let us enquire what the Scripture fpeaks to this Point ; 
that there fhall be a Time in which God will deftroy the 
Wicked of the World, and the Enemies of his Church and 
People ; and that there fhall be aTime of Peace, and Free- 
dom from all perfecuting Power ; a Time of great Holi- 

B 2 nejfe 



Of the Thoufand Tears. 

riffs and Happuiefs ; a Time wherein he will pour out 
his Spirit in great Abundance from on high ; fuch a Time 
a$ \yas never yet in the World ; a Time of refrefhing from 
the Prefence of the Lord ; Times of the Reftitution of all 
Things : and thefe Times have been fpoken of by all the 
holy Prophets fwce the World began. The Truth is, it is 
the Time of the Duration of ChriftY' Kingdom in 
this World ; which is to be given to him after the 
^DeflruBion of the little Horn ; as is clear from Tjanlel 
7 ; and which he is gone to receive for himfelf, and to re- 
turn, Luk. 19. 12. 

And feeing fuch Times and Things have been fpoken of 
by all the holy Prophets, we will enquire what every one 
of them have fpoken to thefe Things. We fhall begin 
with Isaiah : Chap. 2. 2, the Prophet tells of a Time when 
the Mountain of the Lories Houfe fhall be eflablifhed 
in the Top of the Mountains, and be exalted above the 
Hills ; when he fhall judge among the Nations, and rebuke 
many People ; when the lofty Looks of Men fall be hum- 
bled, &c. And when fhall this be ? It fhall be in the lafl 
T)ays : tis yet future : It hath never yet been accoinplilh- 
ed. 'Tis call'd the T)ay of the Lord, ver. 1 2 , when he 
alone fhall be exalted ; aTime of Peace when Nation fhall 
not lift up Szvord againft Nation ; no moreWar then, ver. 4. 
jpis true, there will be a bloody World before this Day 
comes, and Diftrefs among Nations foregoing Chrift's Com- 
ing, Luh 2 1, Mat. 24, T)an. 12. But afterwards it will 
te otherwife ; when they fhall not hurt nor deflroy in all 
field's holfMountain ; fir the Earth will be filed with 
{he Knowledge of the Lord, Chap. n. 9 j the Light of the 
Moon /hall be as the Light oftbe Sun y and the Light of the 
Sun feven fold, Chap.30.26 ; no more weeping thtn,ver. 19. 
And when fhall this be ? It fhall be when Chrif fhall reign 
in Righteoufnefs, Chap. 32. 1 ; and when, his People fkqll 
dwell in peaceable Habitations ; when the Jetvs fhall be 
called, and the Saints raifed, and live and reign luith Chrif 

a 



Of the Thoufand Years. 9 

* Thmifind Tears. Then tis, iheir Eyes fhall fee the King 
in his Beauty , mdfee Jervfalem a quiet Habitation , and the 
Lord, our Judge, our Law-giver y and our -S7#£, Gk?/>. 33. 
17, 20, 22. Then tis, there fhall be fuch Holinefs, Chap. 
35. 8 ; aYid everlafling Joy pall he on their Heads, and 
Sorrow and Sighing pall flee away. Then, and not till 
then, will God create nezv Heavens ; Jerufalem a rejoic- 
ings and her People a Joy, Chap. 65. 17, 18, 21. Then 
fhall they build Houfes , and inhabit them; plant Vineyards, 
and eat the Fruit of them ; and long enjoy the Works of 
their Hands. None of thefe Things have yet been accon> 
plifhed ; nor will be till that wicked be revealed whom the 
Lord fhall confume with the Spirit of his Mouth, and dejlroy 
with the Brightnefs of his Coming, 2 Thef 2. $. 

Neither can thefe Things be underftood to bt in or after 
the general Judgment. For then there will be no Building 
of Houfes, nor planting of Vineyards, nor eating the Fruit 
of them, nor long enjoying the Labour of their Hands. 
It mud be after the Calling of the Jezus ; this Promife 
having fpecial Refpect to them : and therefore all this and 
much more will be in theT hoi fand Tears. In the beginning 
of which Chriit will come in the Clouds of Heaven vifibly, 
as hath been iliewed before, to judge the Man of Sin, and 
all other Enemies which fhall be found in Arms againft 
him. And this Thoufand Years muft be placed between 
this Appearance of Chrift and the general Judgment, which 
will be after the laft Refurre&ion. But of this more may 
be fpoken when we come to fpeak to the third Queftion, 
when this Time fhall begin. Thofe alfo that hold that 
the general Judgment will begin at the beginning of the 
Thoufand Tears, and fo continue that wholeTerm of Time? 
are utterly miftaken. For befides what hath been faid 
before as to building and planting ; the Scripture is clear, 
that even then there will be wicked Men in the Wprl4 f 
tho' they will be Slaves as -the Gibeonites were, and chaia T 
cd up as the Devil will be all that while ; but at laft will 

be 

/ 



l o Of the Thou/and Tears. 

be fo multiplied that they will be as the Sand of the Sea ; 
and at laft being deceived by the Devil, when he is let loofe 
at the End of thefe Thoufand Years , they will make an 
Attempt againft the Saints, to their own Ruin : and that this 
ftiould be in the Time of the general Judgment, is aThing 
not to be believed. 

We have already ihewed what one Prophet hath fpoken : 
but becaufe thefe are the Times of the Reftitution of all 
Things fpoken of by all the holy Prophets which have been 
fince the World began ; let it be enquired into what the 
rejl of the Prophets have fpoken. 

Jerem. 3. 14, God tells them there that he would bring 
them to Sion, and at that Time they Jhould call Jerufalem the 
Throne of the Lord, and all Nations Jhould be gathered to 
itfVer.ij. And Chap. 30. 3. 9, the Prophet tells them, 
the T)ays Jhould come, that God would bring again the Cap- 
tivity both oflfrael and Judah, and they Jhould ferve the Lord 
their God, and T)avid their King. Jer. 3 1 , the wholeChap. 
throughout fpeaks fully to the Point in Hand. The Pro- 
phet Ezekiel alfo, Chap. 36, tells us of a Time when God 
would gather them, (i. e. the Jews) out of all Countries, and 
bring them to their own Jjtind, and cleanfe them from 
their Filthinefs, four out his Spirit on them, and they 
Jhould be his People, and he would be their God : all which 
is yet future. Yea the laft nineChapters fpeak in a myfti- 
cal Way of the State of the Gofpel Church in the Thoufani 
Years. 

Let us fee further what Daniel fpeaks. He tells us 
what fhall be in the latter T)ays, that is in the latter End 
of the 4th Kingdom, viz. the Roman ; which is now on his 
laft Legs y - if it hath any Leggs left. We are fure he hath 
Feet ; upon which the Stone cut out of the Mountain with- 
out Hand Jhall fall and break the whole Image to Pieces from 
jhe Head to the Feet. Why, then, and not till then, (ball 
tfc God oj Heaven fet up a Kingdom, which J hall never he 
dejlroyed, nor pafs "over to another People } but fand forever, 

and 



Of the Thoufand Years. 1 1 

and become a great Mountain and fill the whole Earth : what 
elfe is this but the Mountain of the Lord's Houfe exalted 
above the Hills ? or any other Mountain than this, cannot 
be meant of a fpiritual Kingdom : for that doth not break 
other Kingdoms to pieces, as this doth ; and fuch a Kingdom 
is not now to be fet up. But it may be faid,what's this to 
the Point in Hand, viz. to the Coming of ChriJ}, or the 
Thoufand Tears f Let us therefore further enquire, and we 
fhall fee thztDaniel fpeaks up to the Cafe, Chap. 7. 13,14 ; 
Ifazv, faith he, in the Night Vifions, and one like the Son 
of Man came with the Clouds of Heaven , and came to the 
antie?it of Days, and they brought him near before him ; and 
there was given to him 'Dominion and Glory, and a King- 
dom, that all People Nations and Languages fhould ferve 
him ; his "Dominion is an everlajling Dominion, that fhall 
not pafs azuay, and his Kingdom that fhall not be deflroyed. 
But when fhall this Coming of the Son of Man be? It 
fhall be when the Utile Horn, viz. the Beaft is fain, and 
his Body deflroyed and given to the burning Flames : agree- 
ing dire&ly with Rev. 19. 20 ; where tis faid, the Beafl was 
taken, and with him the fal/e Prophet, and cajl into theLake 
of Fire and Brimflone. And anfwerable to this is that clear 
Text, 2 Thef 2. 8, whom he fhall confute with the Spirit 
of his Mouthy and deflroy with the B right nefs ofhisComine ; 
which is generally underftood, efpecially by the learned, 
to be a perfonal Coming : for fo much doth the Word in 
the original import ; and is no other, than his Coming with 
Clouds above-mentioned-; and that of Mat. 24, and elfe- 
where. And this muft of Nfeceflity be granted ; except 
we fhall fay, tis at the End of the Thoufand Years (which 
is not yet begun as may be fhewed hereafter) when Chrift 
comes to the general Judgment ; which no Man in his right 
Underftanding will affirm : and fo it will enforce a Coming 
of Chrift personally before the End of the World. And 
this is further hinted to us, Dan. 12. 1 ; at that "Time (viz," 
when the Turk fhall be deftroyed, and come to his End) 

Chap. 



12 Of the Thoufand Years. 

Chap. 1 1 .45, fhall Michael fl and up, the great Prince which 
Jlandethfor theChildren of thy People ; and at thatTime fliall 
they be delivered; and not long after is that happyTime -which 
he is bleffed that waiteth for it and cometh to it, ver. 1 2 ; 
Which is no other then the Thoufand Years. 

Hosea alfo fpeaks of the fame Thing, and of the fame 
Time above-mentioned, Chap. 1. ////. "when the Chil- 
dren of Judah and the Children of Ifrael fhould be gathered 
togetheY, and appoint themfelves one Head in that great Day 
ffjezreel ; and Chap. 14. throughout. Joel alfo tells us 
of a Time, when Jerufalem fhould be holy, and no Stranger 
pafs through her any more, Chap. 3. 17. Amos alfo fpeaks 
of a Day wh£n God will raife up the Tctbernacle of T) avid 
that is fallen, and clofe up the Breaches thereof, and raife 
tip MsRnins,and build it as in the*Days of old, Chap.y. from 
ver. 1 1, to the End. Obadiah alfo to the fame Purpofe ; 
that uponMount Sion fhall be c Deliverance 1 and there fhall be 
Uolinefsy ver. ij, and Saviours fhall come upon Mount 
Sion, and the Kingdom fhall be the Lord's. Jonah is a 
Hiflory, no Prophefy. Micam 4. 1, 2, 3, but in the laf 
"Days, it fhall come to pafs, he ; the fame with Ifai. 2. 
Nahum fpeaks of a Time, when the TVicked fhould be 
among the People of God no more, but be utterly cut ojf, 
Chap. 1. 157 Habakkuk* Chap. 2. 14, the Earth fhall be 
filled with the Knowledge of the Lord as the Wafers cover 
the Sea. Zephaniah, Chap. 3. 9 — 20, I will turn to the 
People a pure Language, that they may call on the Name of 
the Lord, and ferve him with .one confent ; in that T) ay it 
Jhall be faidto yerufalenij fear not, and to Sion, let not thy 
Hand's be flack, the Lord thy God in the midfl of thee is 
mighty, &c. 

Haggai 2. 7, The Prophet fpeaks of a Time when 
God would fbake the Heaven and the Earthy and Jhake all 
Nations : and ver. 22, that he would overthrow the 'Thrones 
*f Kingdoms, and the Deftre of all Nations fhould come. 
Tis true, this hatli been in Part fulfilled at the firfl Coming 

V 



Of the Thoufatid Tears. 1 3 

of Chrifl, when the legal Difpenfation was taken away ; 
and To much the Apoftle implies Heb. 1 2 : but that Shaking 
did not overthrow the Thrones of Kingdoms, as this Shak- 
ing fhall. The Apoftle who wrote after the legal Difpen- 
fation was fhaken to Pieces, tells us of another Shaking 
which God had promifed, which w ; as future. And when 
may this be ? It may be ? tis when theDeflre of all Nations 
lliall come the fecond Time, to fit up his own Kingdom ; 
then when the Beaf} fhall be fain, and his Body defiroy-- 
ed y and given to the burning Flames ; when the 
Ancient of "Days fhall fit ; then, and not ? till then, 
will thefe Thrones be caft doivn, T)an. 7. 9. And thatTirne 
will be a fhaking Time indeed ; when not only the. Earth, 
but the Povjer of Heaven lliall be fldaken alio ; Mat. 24. 
Luk. 2 1. And thefe Heavens and Earth fo fhaken muft be 
removed; and a new Heaven and Earth created that fall 
remain before ike Lord ? Ifii. 66, 22. And fo the Apoftle 
tells us Heb. 12, of a Kingdom that cannot be jhakeh ; by 
which we muft understand the whole Kingdom of Chrift, 
and not only his fpiritual Kingdom, but his external alio, 
which he is gone to receive ; which is an everlafting Kingdom, 
and fhall never pa fs away to another People ; which muft 
remain when thofeThings that are fhaken muft be removed. 
See alio what the Prophet Zechariah fpeaks Chap. 8. 3, 
TheLord faith, I am returned to Sion, and will dwelt in the 
midfl of Jerufalem ; and yerufalem fhall be called a City 
of Truth, the Mountain of the Lord of Hofls, the holy 
Mountain. See ver. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ; & Chap. 12, 13, '14. 
The Prophet fpeaks of little elfe, but the Glory and Holi- 
nefs of ihejewifh Church, after their Converfion toChrift. 
There is yet one Prophet more who is yet to fpeak, and 
that is Malachi ; and he fpeaks of the T)ay of the Lord 
that fhall bum as anOven ; and all that do Wickedly -fhall be 
jluhble, and the T)'ay that cometh fhall burn them up : a?xd 
ye fhall tread them down, for they fo all be Afhes under the 
Soles of your Feet. But it may be thought that this £ 

C ' ing 



1 4 Of ■ M« Thoufand Tears. 

ing fhall be at the laft Judgment. Tis true, there will 
then be the greateft Dettru&ion by Fire that ever was or 
fhall be ; for then they will be deftroyed all, Rev. 20. 9: 
but tis likely, it will be otherwife now, confifting only of 
fuch as are a&ually in Arms againft Chrift. But that there 
will be a great Deftru&ion by Fire at this Time, the Scrip- 
ture is clear, Ifai. 66. 15. 16, For behold the Lord will 
come with Fire, and render his Rebukes withFlames of Fire ; 
for by Fire and Sword will the Lord plead with all Flejb, 
and the Slain of the Lordfoall be many. See Ezekiel 38.22, 
Words to the famePurpofe. And when this Burning fhall 
be, the Sun of Righteoufnefs (hall arife with healing in his 
Wings ; and his People jhall go forth, and grow up as 
Calves of the Stall : and when the Hearts of the Children 
Jbould be turned to their Fathers ; what elfe is here meant 
but theConverfion of the Jexvijh Nation ; that they fhould 
be turned to ferve the God whom their Fathers ferved : 
which will be longr before the End of the World. ; 

I might weary the Reader with Quotations ; but have 
only fingled out fome among many, whereby it doth evi- 
dently appear, that theTiME of the Restitution of all 
Things fpoken o^ Aft. 3. 21, cannot be meant of the 
laft Judgment : for that is not the Time of the Rcftitution 
of all Things fpoken off by all the holy Prophets ; but the 
Annihilation of many Things : Neither have alltheProphets 
fpoken of the laft Judgment ; nor any one of them who 
have been mentioned, that I know of ; neither ever is the 
laft Judgment reprefented to us, by "Times as I remember ; 
but always by a T)ay^ the T)ay of Judgment, the "Day of 
the Lord. See Rom. 2. 1 6 ; Aft. 17.31; Mat. 11.22 ; and 
12. 36; 2 Pet. 3. io > and elfewhere ; and therefore fome- 
thing elfe is meant by Restitution of all Things, 
which we ihall next enquire into. 

Reftitution in the original fignifieth, the fetting of a 
Thing in his right and ancient State; as is well known to 
fome : and the fame Word with that Aft. 1. 6. To reft ore 

by 



Of the Thoufand Tears. 1 5 

by Reflitutim of all Things , may in general mean a 
new Stare of Things in this World : and more efpecially 
the Converfion or Reftoration of the Jewijb Nation to 
the Love and Favour of Gcd ; to be again the Church and 
People of God ; to reftore them to tlieir own Land ; to 
reftore the Kingdom to Ifrael ; to reftore their Judges as 
at the firft, and theirCounfellors as at the beginning, Ifai.i ; 
to reftore Comfort to them and their Mourners ; to reftore 
Joy and Sorrow ; and Sighing flee away, Chap. 35 ; to re- 
ftore Peace like a River ; fee for this Ifai. 66. ii } 13 ; and 
57. 18, 19. Thefe Things have been fpoken of by all the 
holy Prophets y as hath been largely fhewed before ; and are 
no other then the Time of the Rejiitution of all Things find, 
the Thoufand Tears. Then the Enmity of the Creature 
fliall ceafe, Hofea 2. 18 ; they fb all not dejiroy nor hurt in 
all God^s holy Mountain, Jfai. 1 1. 9 : then ftiall Enemies be 
deftroyed, fo as not to perfecute any more ; fb that it may 
well be called a Time of the Rejiitution of all Things, 
and Times of fefrefhing from the Prefence of the Lord : 
for then, their Sins fball be blotted out ; fo that tho y they 
fould be fought for, they fall not be found. And this will 
be a Time of Refrefing, not only to the JevAJb Nation > 
but to the Gentiles alfo : for the renewing of them will be 
as Life from the T)ead to the Gentiles. Now all this, and 
much more which might be mentioned, hath never yet been 
accomplifhed ; nor fhall be,till the grandEnemies of Chrift: 
be deftroyed, and the third-Wo Trumpet found. And that 
the Time of the Reftitution of all Things fhould be after 
the general Judgment is began, is to me incredible ; and 
therefore it will neceftarily follow, that thefe Times of the 
Rejiitution of all Things, is a Term of Time between the 
third-JVo Trumpet and the general Judgment. And what 
Time may we think it to be but the Thoufand Tears of 
Chrift's Kingdom in this World ; which will commence im- 
mediately after the Deftru&ion of his Enemies, and the 
Calling of the Jews, and continue till the general Judg- 

C z ment* 



i6 Of the Thoufand Years. 

rnent ; and at this Time of Reftitutton it is, that Chrifl zvill 
come, Act 3. 21, and deflroy the Man of Sin, with the 
Brighinefs cf his Coming : except we fhould fay, that he 
fhould not be deflroyed till the End of the "Thoufand Years 
or general Judgment ; which I think no Man of Under- 
standing vv 111 affirm. 

But it may be thought that thefe Thoufand Tears are 
pafl long ago. That is then the 

II. Thing to be enquired into. And here we muft 
know, (1) that thefe Thoufand Years cannot be in any Part 
of theReign of the Beafl ; and (2dly) that in the Space of 
ihefeThoufand Years Satan mufl be bound } and flmi up in the 
boiiomlefs Pit : Both thefe mufl: be granted. Thofe 
then that affirm that thefe Years are pafl, let them begin 
them when they will ; will have a Part pf the Reign of 
the Bead included in them. 

Again, we find, that in the beginning of the Thoufand 
Years, thofe thatfuffered under the Beafl were to be rat fed 
and reign zvith Chrifl, Rev. 20 ; and 'tis abfurd to fay,that 
any of the raifedSaints that were to reign withChrift, fhould. 
fuffer after their Refurreeiion, and in the Time of their 
Reign : Their Sufferings mufl go before their Reigning ; 
according to that of the Apoftle 2 Tim. 2. 12 ; & Rom. 8. 
1 7 ; which is not a reigning in Heaven, as poffibJy may be 
hereafter fhowm Nor hathSatan hitherto been bound ; and 
this Thoufand Years are not to begin, 'till Satan be bound 
from deceiving the Nations, Now Satan hath hitherto de- 
ceived the Nations in allAges and Generations, inPoftrine,. 
by Paganifm, Arianifm ; and to this Day doth, by many o- 
f her damnable Herefies : And can we fuppofe that he hath 
been, or nozu is bound f What may we think he will do then 
when he is loofe ? And therefore this Thoufand. Years 
and Kingdom of Chrift is not yet begun ; becaufe noGene- 
ration have ever yet been fo happy as to be free from his 
Deceptions in oneWay or other. By this then which hath been 
fpoken,it may appear to any^vhc will npt wilfully fhut their 

Eyes ; . 



The beginning of the Tlooufand Tears. 1 7 

Eyes; that the Thou (and Years of Satans binding and the 

Saints reigning are yet future; and therefore we iliall infill: no 
further upon it; but come to the, 

Hid, Thing to be fpoken to, as was propped; that isfrorri 
what Period of Time it doth begin. To anfwer in general, 
This Thoufand Years begins when Chrift comes to fet up 
his Kingdom in this world. And here we mnft know, That 
of that T>ay and Hour, no nor Tear, when Chrift will come 
to fet up his Kingdom, Chrift hath told us, noManknoweth, 
no not the Angels, Matth. 24 : And when the Difcjples 
[Acts 1. J would needs know, whether at that Time 
Chrift would fet up his Kingdom, or reftore the Kingdom to 
lfrael > Chrift doth not deny the Thing, which doubtlefs 
he would have done if there had been no fuchThing 5 a-nd have 
reftifyed their Judgments, and informed them better; but 
otherwife he only checks their Curiofity, and tells them, 
*twas not for them, to know the Times and Scafons which 
the Farther hath put in his own lowei; .: And Luk. 17. 20 , 
when the Pharifees demanded and would know of Chrift, 
ivheri the Kingdom of Chrifl fould come f he tells them, it 
came not with Obfervation ; neither fould Men fay, Lo 
here, or lo there ; but he would come as Lightning, fad- 
denly, terribly ; fojhall alfo the Son of Man be in his T)ay : 
and goes on to give them fome general Signs, as Security 

*snd Senjuality ; as it was in the T) ays of Noah] and as it 
was in the T)ays of Lett ; Eating zx\dT)r inking, Marrying, 
Building and Planting, &c ; and knew nothing Will the 
Flood came ; even thus [hall it be when the Son of Man 

fhall be revealed, ver. 26,27,30. And Luk. 19. 11, There 
were feme that thought that the Kingdom of Godfhould imme- 
diately appear; butChrift gives them to underftand otherwife ; 
and reprefents himfelf as a certain noble Man that went 
into afar Country, to receive for himfelf a Kingdom and to 
return : And ver 15, when he was returned,having receiv- 
ed the Kingdom; then he calls his Servants to account, and 

pafles 



i8 The heginnittg of the ThouJ and Tears. 

pafles Sentence on them. Hence he is (aid to judge quick 
and dead at his .Appearance and his Kingdom, 2 Tim. 4. 1. 
And therefore when he comes to fet up his Kingdom at the 
Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet ; at that Time he is 
laid to judge and to give Rewards to his Servants', Rev. 1 1 , 
15, 18. So that at his Return will be the Time when this 
Kingdom pf Chrift fhall appear, and the Thoufand Years 
begin. 

But to enquire a little further concerning theTime, and 
fee what theScripture fpeaks to it : and we fhall find,i?^. 1 o. 
5> 6, 7 ; that under the fixth Trumpet, which is the fecond 
Woe Trumpet, Chap. 9.12; the Angel, which is Christ, 
who jets "his right Foot on theSea,& his left Foot on theEarth, 
and lifteth itp his Hand to Heaven, andfzvearelh by him that 
liveth for ever\nd ever, that there fbould beTime no longer ; 
but in the T)ays of the Voice of the feventh Angel, when 
he fhall begin to fpund, the Myftery ofGodfhould be finifh- 
ed, as he hath declared to his Servants the Prophets. . What, 
Should the World be now at an End, that Time fliould 
be no longer ; when the feventh Angel founded f No, not 
fo ; but then Time fhould be no longer to the Beafi and 
other Enemies of Chrift ; and then the My f cry of God 
flould befinifhed. But what may this Myftery, which muft 
be finifhed after the Sound of the feventh Trumpet, be ? 
which is the laft Trumpet ; after which none fhall Sound, 
but the Trump of God zK. the laft Judgment, 1 Cor. 15. 52 ; 
at the Refurre&ion of the Dead : And this theApoftle calls 
a Myftery : but this is not theMyftery of God here meanly 
forGod had not declared this to his Servants the Prophets : 
Much lefs is it the Myftery of Iniquity, 2 Thef 2.7; 
for that is not theMyftery of God, but of theDevil. There 
is yet another Myftery of which the Apoftle fpeaks Rev. 
11.25; and that is the Calling of the Jezvs : And this 
Myftery hath been declared to all theProphets, as hath been 
ftiewed before : And this Myftery of God is to be finifhed 
tinder the feventh Trumpet } and at the pouring out of the 

laft 



Tloe beginning of the Thoufa?^d Tears. 1 9 

laft Vial :For then 'tis faid, It is done. What is that which 
is done ? Then the My fiery of God is fulfilled, Chap. 10. 
7 : And at the pouring out of this Vial, which is contempora- 
ry with the feventh Trumpet, there will be Voices, and 
Thunderings, and Lightnings, to ftrike Terror into the 

Minds of Men, and there will be a great Earthquake 

fuch as zuas not fince Men were upon the Earth, Jo mighty 
an Earthquake, andfo great : It will fhake all the King- 
doms of this World ; fhake the Heavens, and ihake the 
Earth ; the Lord will lhake all the World by it ; and 
Things fo fhaken muft be removed, that what cannot be 
fhaken may remain : but of this fomething hath been fpo- 
ken before. But what may this Earthquake be, which 
fhall thus fhake the whole World, and fuch as never was 
fince Men lived upon Earth ? I do not underftand it of an 
Earthquake properly fo called : but fo as it reprefents to 
us great Changes in the World, and T>iflrefs of Nations, 
with Perplexity, Mens Hearts failing them for Fear, 
and for looking after thofe Things which are coming on the 
Earth : For the Pozvers of Heaven fhall be fhaken, Luk. 
21. 25, 26. We read of a ^great Earthquake Rev. 6> at 
the Opening of the fixth Seal : And it was fo great, that 
it fhook the Pagan Roman Empire ; for fo Interpreters un- 
derftand that Place ; the whole Pagan Emperial World, 
Sun, Moon, and Stars thereof : and this introduced a blef- 
fed Change for the prefent. So that we fee fuch Earth- 
quakes fignify great Changes, and affrighting Judgments ; by 
Wars, and otherwife : and fuch will be at the Sounding of 
the feventh Trumpet, and the pouring out of the laft Vial. 

Rev. 16. 14, we read of the Kings of the Earth, and 
of the whole PVorld gathered together^ to //^Battle of the 
great Day of God Almighty : And it is the fame Bat- 
tle fpoken of by the Prophet Ezekiel, Chap. 38. & 39 ; 
for that was to be in the latter "Day, ver. 1 6 : And it muft 
be at, or after, the return of the Jews- to their own Land; 
which is yet future. And the Prophet Joel alfo fpeaksof the 

fame 



20 Of the Beginning of'theThouf and Tears* 

JameliattlG Chap. 3. 2, For behold in thofe T)ays and in that 
"Time, when I Jhail bring again the Captivity of Judab and 
Jerusalem ; / will gather all Nations, and bring them down 
to the Valley 0/* Jeholhapliat, and plead with them there. A 
more general War-like Aflembly was never known in the 
World : and by Means whereof, there will be fuch an 
Earthquake as was never heard of fince the World began : 
And this will be all at the fame Time, the Calling of the 
Jews \ at the fame Place Judea ; Ezek.,%9. 4, upon the 
Mountains 0/Tfrael ; Joel 3.2, in theV alley ^Jehofhaphat ; 
Rev. 1 6. 1 6, at Armageddon. To this Time the Prophet 
Ifaiah refcvsChap. 63. r, 2, 3, &c. where Chrift is repre- 
fented as treading the Wine-prefs, treading his Enemies in 
Anger, trampling on them in Fury, Garments fiained with 
their Blood : Juft the fame with Rev. 14. 15,20. Thru/1 
in thy Sickle into the Earth, and gather the Vine of the 
Earth : and the Angel thrufi in his Sickle, and gathered 
the Vine of the Earth, and c aft it into the great TVine-prefs 
of the Wrath of God. But more of this, when we come 
to fpeak of the great Battle of Gog and Magqg. Joel 
alfo fpeaks to thejame purpofe and the fame Time ; then 
will Men go into the Clefts of the Rocks, and into the Tops 
of the ragged Rocks, for Fear of the Lord, and for theGlory 
of his Majefty, when he arifeth terribly tofbake the Earth, 
By this little above-written, we may partly judge what 
this Earthquake is like to be ; and to do which is fo great 
as was not fince Men lived upon Earth : For now the old 
World will be at anEnd,md the newJVorldwill begin ; which 
the Apoftle calls iheWorldto come, Heb. 2. 5, Thus much 
may fuffice for Anfwer to the third Queflion, propofed to 
be fpoken to, i.e. when the Thoufand Years will begin, and 
all the Kingdoms of this World become the Kingdoms of 
our Lord and his Chrift, and he to reign for ever and ever. 
And this is one of the mod remarkable Periods which hath 
been fince the World began. 

Concerning 



Of the Kingdom of Chriji. 2 1 

Concerning the glorious State of this Kingdom of Chriji 
his World, fomething hath been hinted before, which 
may be further evinced from the Scriptures. And Fir/}, 
as to a plentiful Eflf on of the Spirit, promifed ; that it 
fhaJi be poured out from on high, when theWildernefs floall 
• me a fruitful Field y Ifa. 32. 15 ; which is to be under- 
lined of greatMeafures andDegrees of all favingGrace : Pro- 
rniied alfb Zech. 12. 1 o. to be poured out upon the Houfe of 
David, and upon the Inhabitants of Jerufalem : But zvhen 
is it ? zvhen they floall look on him whom they have pierced 
and mourn. Alfo Ezekiel 3d 27, I will put my Spirit with* 
in you, and caufe you to zualk in my Statutes : But when f 
When they are gathered out of all Countries, and brought to 
their ozvn Land, ver. 24. 

And this will not only be (1.) a Spirit of Light and 
Knowledge ; but (2) there will be /wj/^Holiness : It will 
be to fuch a Degree as never was in the World fince the 
Beginning of it : So great, that fome Men have thought, 
(though I am not of thatOpinion)that there will be no Un- 
holmefs (at leaft) not in the Saints ; but that theSubjecte of 
this Kingdom iliali fin no more. See further what the 
Scripture fpeaks to this, Ifa. gf. 8, *A.n high Way Jhall 
be there : And it Jhall be called the Way ofHolinefs : The 
Unclean Jhall not pafs over it. Hence called God's holy 
Mountain, Ifai. 65. ult ; the Mountain of his Holinefs t 
Jer. 31.23 : Upon the Bells of Horfes and Pots fhall be 
Hollnefs, Zech, 14. 20. (gdly) As to Righteousness ; the 
People Jhall be all Righteous : they Jhall inherit the Land 
forever, Ifai. 35. 8. Hence they are called a righteous Na- 
tion, Chap. 26. 2 ; The Habitation of yu/Iice, Jer. 31. 23. 

Here Righteoufnefs ' aud Peace zuill kifs each other, Pfa. 
8<r ; which is next propofed to Confideration. For Christ 
being the Prince of Peace, Ifa. 9. 6 ; there fiiall be Peace 
in his Kingdom, and under his Government. The Main* 
tains fall bring Peace to his People, Pfai 72.3: In his 
'Days Jhall be abundance of Peace, fb Ion* as the Moon en* 

D dm 



2 2 Of the Kingdom of Ghrift. 

dureth, yen. 7 : and I am fure that will be to the End of 
the Tkoujand Tears. Again, Great /hall be the Peace of 
ihyChildren, I fa. 54. 13 ; Peace to him that is far off, and 
Peace to him that is near,Chap. 57. 19 ; Peace like aRiver: 
A SuccefTion of Peace, as of Waters in a River : Jerufa- 
Jem /ball be a quiet Habitation ^and a peaceable reflingPlace, 
If 1. 32. 1 8 ; & 33. 20, They fhall not learnWar any more ; 
nor any Weapon that is formed againf them fhall pro/per. - 
Again, there will be Joy : when the Lord reigneth, the 
Earth will rejoice, PfaL 97. 1 ; andver. 8, Si on heard, and 
was glad, and the 'Daughters of Judah rejoiced : fng for 
Joy of Heart, Ifai. 65. 14, rejoice with Joy and Singing ; 
ev.erlafling Joy zvill be upon their Pleads ; and they f)all 
obtain Joy and Gladnefs ; and Sorrow and Sighing fhall flee 
azvay. Therefore in this Kingdom of Chrift, during the 
Thoufand Years, there will be no more Apoftacy or Back- 
sliding in Holinefs ; or as it was in the Days of Noah and 
Lot, when the World was filled with Violence,and all Fiefh. 
had corrupted their Way. Neither is there the leaft Hint 
in Scripture of any Backfiiding after this Thoufand Years 
is begun. For then there could not be everlafling Joy on 
their Heads, nor could Sorrow and Sighing flee away. 
No more pricking Briar, nor grieving Thorn : no more 
Perfecution by wicked Men : no more violent *Death y nor 
Sorrow, nor Crying , nor any more Pain, upon any fuch ac* 
count ; For then Sorrow and Sighing would not flee away, 
nor would Tears be wiped from their Eyes. We 
may further take notice that this Time will be a Time of 
great light. The Earth fhall be filled with the Knowledge of 
the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea : The Light of the 
JVIoon fhall be as the Light of the Sun ; .And the Light of the 
Sun a? the Light offeven T)ays : *At the Time of the End 
Knozvledge fhall be increafed, T)an. 12.4. 

Then there will be a glorious ^dccomplifhment of Pre- 
dictions and Propheftes, which nocv to us are dark and ob- 
feure : and the Book which is now fealed at the Time of 
$m End> will be opened*- Mud* 



Of the Kingdom of Chrifl. 2 3 

Much more might be added to what hath been written ; 
but we fhall at prefent give fome Scriptures whicl? (peak of 
this external and outward Hafpiness. Firft, longLife ; 
Ifai. 6$, there Jhall be no more thence an infant of Days, 
nor an old Man that hath not filled h\sT)ays ; for theChild 
Jhall die an Hundred Tears old ; for as the T>ays of a 
Tree, are the T)ays of my People. 

Again, they fhall enjoy a Fulncfs of other temporal 
Blejjings ; build Houfes, plant Vineyards, and eat the Fruit 
of them, Ifai' 65. Their Floors Jhall be full of Wheat y and 
the Fats Jhall overflow with Wine and Oyl ; and they Jhall 
eat in plenty, andpraife the Name of the Lord, that hath 
dealt wonderfully with them ; and they Jhall never be afliamed, 
Joel 2. Then will be fulfilled, according to theLetterfpoken 
by our Lord Jefus Chrift, Mat. 5, f, Blejfed are the Meek 
for they Jhall inherit the Earth : which hitherto they have 
not done. Oh ? glorious Things are fpoken of thee, O City 
of God, Selah, Pfal. 87,3. Great is the Lord, and greatly 
to be praiftd in the City of our God, in the Mountain of 
Holinefs, beautiful for Situation, thc^Joy of the whole Earth, 
the City of the great King, PfaL 4*8. I, 2 : which Places 
ultimately refer to this Time, and the glorious State of the 
Church in the laft Age of the World. 

The Church of old was called, the Lord's Portion, 
Deut. 32. 9 ; his plea fant Portion, Jer. 12. 10; his In he- 
ritance, Ifai. 19. 25 ; and the dearly beloved of his Soul ; 
his Treafure, Exod. 19. 5 ; his Glory, Ifai. 46. 13. But 
the Gofpel Church is calPd a Crozvn of Glory, Ifai. 62. 3 ; 
the Houfe of his Glory, a royal 'Diadem. Thefe are high 
Expredes of the Glory of the Church in the Thoufand 
Years of Chrift's Kingdom in this World. 

And thus, I have written a little, and but a little ; may 
fee a Glimpfe, and but a Glimpfe, of Sions Glory ; much 
of which is yet to come. And from all that which is here 
written we may gather, that if the Times immediately pre* 
ceding xht per fowl, \\t\b\e and glorious Appearance of Chrift 

D 2 at 



24 OfChriffs Appearance the 2&Time. 

at Kisfecona I Coming, be Times of deep Security/general 
Senfuality, open Prophanefs and Apoftacy, as hath been 
declared before ; then it muft needs be, that Chrijl zvill 
appear before the Thoufind Tears : becaufe after thole 
Years are began, there will be no fuch Times of Wicked- 
nefs and Prophanefs, as hath been alfo iliewed before : 
but the 'firfl is undeniable ; and therefore the fecond muft 
^nd-wHl neqe^afilry follow : for it cannot be imagined, by 
tiny that kn6w^ar underftand any Thing, of the glorious 
'State of the Church during that Time, which hath been 
mentioned before, and which hath been fo abundantly de- 
clared both by the Prophets and Apofties, iheuid ever apoi- 
tatize fo as to be as it was in the 'Days of Noah and Loii, 
when the whole World was corrupt & filPd with Violence. 
Read their wof ul Wickednefs, Gen.6.Sc 19; and then 
confider if ever there will be fuch Wickednefs committed 
during the Thoufind Tears of Chrift Kingdom in this 
World: and there h not the lead Hint of declining : 
and if not, then it will be a Truth tkat Clirilt will come 
before that Time. 

And now having -written fbmething of Chrijl* s Coming 
and of the Time and ..-Manner of it, and of the Signs fore- 
going it ; in further Profecution thereof, we fhali propound 
federal Scriptures to Confideration, and then as God /Kail 
help, write fbmething of the Refurreffion of the Body and 
of judgment to come. 

Fir ft, Let us confider of fuch Scriptures as fpeak of 
this Coming of Chrift. We have formerly fpoken of Zech. 
12. 10 ; they fball look on him whom they, i. e. the 
e\t&Jews, look on Ch rift whom they in their Fore-fa- 
thers pierced and mourn for him, as one for an only Son ; 
with a great and general Mourning ; Lands mourn, ^Fami- 
lies mourn apart : Prophefied of jer. g r. 19, by fruiting an 
the Thigh, and by be'rng afiiamed and confounded. And this 
is not a delperate,but a penitential Mourning; as is evident : 

* For 



Of Chri/Fs Appearance the 2d Time. 25 

For vris when the Spirit of Grace and Supplication is 
poured cut upon them ; and zvhen a Fountain is opened for 
them for Sin and for Uncleannefs. Nor can this be referred 
'to the general Judgment ; for then will be no fucli Fountain 
opened ; then twill be too late to repent. And this muft 
be undcrliood of a perfonal Appearance : how elfe ihould 
they look on him? they Jhall fee theSon ofManComing in the 
Clouds of Heaven, Mat. 24. 2 1 ; 26. 64 : that is,not with 
an Eye of Faith ; for that is the Evidence of Things not 
feen ; but with their bodily Eyes, Rev. 1 . 7 ; behold he 
cometh with Clouds, and every Eye [hall fee him ; (whether 
they have, Faith or no) and they alfo that have pierced him. 
And who can tell but this might be one Reafon why ,Chrift 
was .peirced, that the Jews might be convinced and fo con- 
verted at the Sight thereof. See Zech. 14. 4, his Feet 
Jhall (land at that "Day upon the Mount of Olives : In what 
-Day ? Why tis in theDay tuhenChafi jhall come and all his 
y Saints with kini, ver t r ,- and when the Jezvs (hall fee him 
and mourn. It was frorp this I he afcended ; and (b 

he was to come again in lifce Manner, Act. 1. it. And 
doubriefs the PLce to which Cbrifr com^F/vi!] be Ynjudea ; 
and at or near ^erufdem, where all 'Nations fall be gather- 
ed together to Battle, Chap. 14. 2. 

Another Scripture is Mat. 23. ult, Ye fall not henceforh 
fee me until ye Jhall fay blejfedis he that cometh to us in the 
-Name of the Lord : then they fhal-1 cry as the Multitude 
did, Mat. 21, Hofanna in the highefl, i. e. acknowledge 
Chrift to be the Mefliah, and be converted : whereby. we 
n^ay gather, that then they fhall fee him. And in Act. 3. 
21 ; whom the Heavens mufl contain or receive until the 
"Times oftheRefitution of all Things : and then God would 
fendjefus ; but of this before. Like unto this is thatjP/2r/. 
no. 1 , Sit thou at my right Hand till I make thineEtiemies 
thy Footflool : implying, that then Chrift Ihould fet at the 
Fathers right Hand no longer ; and all this before the gene- 
ral Judgment. Again, Pfal 1 02 . 16; when the Lord foall 

build 



26 Of ChriJTs Appearance the 2d Time. 

buildup Sion, he /hall appear in his, Glory : then he will 
hear the Groans of the poor Prifoners, and proclaim Liber- 
ty to the Captives. 

Another Scripture is 2 Thef 2.8; 'tis faid there that 
Chrijl fliall dejlroy the Man of Sin zvith the B right ne/s of 
his Coming, or appearing, i. e. v a perfonal Appearing : the 
Word Epiphania imports a perfonal Appearance : And 
Chrift: is faid to come dozvn from Heaven, to bind Satan, at 
the Beginning of the Thoufand Tears ; and the Beaft was 
to be deftroyed before that Time, Rev.- 19. 20, and caft 
alive into Hell. 

I fhall inftance only in one Scripture more ; and that is 
in Heb. 9. 28 ; 'tis faid there that Chrift fhall appear the 
fecond Time without Sin to them that look for him, to their 
Salvation. "Whether all that fhall be faved by him look 
for his Appearance, or whether he will appear to the Salva-* 
tion of any other the fecond Time ; I fhall not determine : 
Only this, that, in an Hour when good Servants think 
not of the Son of Man comes, Matt. 24.44; an< ^ to 
the evil Servant in a T)ay when he looked not for him, ver. 
50 : I iliall fpeak only to the Time. But it may be tho'r, 
that this Text makes againft fuch as hold that Chrift will 
come before the general Judgment : And it may be not. 
I know that mod Men, who underftand any Thing of thefe 
Matters, do underftand, and that rightly, that this Appear- 
ance the fecond "Time is a perfonal Appearance of Chrift ; 
but think that 'tis at the laft Judgment. But that is their 
Miftake ; for the Apoftle knew well, that the fecond Com- 
ing of Chrift would be to deftroy the Man of Sin and sit her 
Enemies, and that long before the laft Day, 2 Thef. 2.7; 
and had told the Thejfalonians fo ; and had told theRomans 
what Ifaiah had fpoken, Chap. 59. 20, that the Redeemer 
fhould come to Sion, to them that turn from Tranfgrejfion in 
Jacob, and applies it to the Converfwn of the jfezvs, Rom. 
it. 26 : and he knew it would be at h\$ fecond Coming ,out 
of Zee. 12. io, Sc Matt. 24. 3 o,long before theEnd of the 

World 1 



Of Chrifts Appearance the 2d Time. 27 

World : and therefore did not mean the I aft Judgment in 
this Place. And whereas 'tis faid, be Jhall come the fecond 
Time without Sin to our Salvation ; we know, or may know, 
that Salvation in Scripture is taken more Ways than one! 
There is a temporal Salvation, as well as a fpiritual and an 
eternal Salvation : and 'us a temporal Salvation intended in 
this Text; as I underftand, Luk. 1. 71 ; Chrift was to 
five his People from their Enemies, and from the Hands of 
ail thatjhate them ; that we being delivered out of the Hands 
of ourEnemies , might ferve him without Fear. And indeed the 
great TVork and Baflnefs thatChrift hath to do in this World, 
at his next ox fecond Coming, will be to deftroy his Enemies) 
and to deliver his People, that they may ferve him without 
Fear, which hitherto they could never do ; therefore 'tis 
faid, 2 2 hef I. 6. 7, 9 Tis a righteous Thing zvith God to 
recompence Tribulation to them that trouble you ; and to you 
zuho are troubled Reft, or Refrejhing, as the Word may' be 
rendered : But when ? this hath never yet been, no ; but 
it fliall be at hh Jecond or nextComing,when hefballbe revealed 
from Heaven with his mighty Angels, and when he /ball 
come to be glorified in his Saints, ver. 10. And 'tis likely 
thefe are thofe Times of Refrejhing, which 'Jhall come from 
the Prejence of the Lord 3 and that Reft mentioned Heb. 4, 
that is remaining to the Saints and People of God. When 
Perfecution ceafed, the Churches had Reft, Aft. 9. 3 1. 

Much more might be written to ftiow, that the next or 
fecond Coming of Chrift will be long before the general 
Judgment ; but let this fuffice. And now let us cenfider 
further, what Chrift will do at this his next Coming. He 
will appear perfonally and vifibly, as hath been fhewed : 
And as he went,Aff. r ; he will come with the fameGIory* 
as when he comes to the general Judgment ; fitting on a 
Throne as a King : And he comes with Ten Thoitfand of 
his Saints, Jud. 14 ; comes and all his Saints with him, Zee 
li. And the/r/2 Thing thatChrift will do when he comes," 

he 



2 8 Of the fir ft RefurreElion. 

he will raife up, the dead Saints, or Tome of them ; and this 
is called the fir ft KefurreBion, Rev. 20. 4. And here we 
muft know, that there is a fir ft KefurreBion, and there is a 
laft KefurreBion ; and that there is % fir ft or inchoate Judg- 
?nent, and there is a laft or ultimate 'Judgment, which the 
Scripture (peaks of: and it will fall in naturally to fpeak 
of them both together. And the Apoftle, 1 Cor. 15, (peak- 
ing largely of the Redirection, doth imply a priority and a 
porteriority of the Reforrecfion, ver. 23 ; where 'tis faid, 
Chrift the fir ft Fruit, afterwards they }hat are Chrift'? at 
his Coming. But whatComing ? to rhe general Judgment? 
No, but long before that Time : For at the general Judg- 
ment not only the;m that are Chrift' s (hall be rai(ed ; but 
all that are in Graves, fmall and great, all that are in the 
Sea, or in Hell ; all muft appear before his judgment-Seat, 
1 Cor. ft the Bad as well as Good: and therefore there 
is a Refurre&ion of feme before that Time. Befides, the 
Apoftle (ays, every one fhould be made alive in his ovjn Or- 
der ; Chrift was thefirft Fruit above 1600 Years ago, af- 
terwards will be the Saints or feme of them at his Coming ; 
afterwards, (for fo is the Word in the Original, as I have 
been informed,) cometh the End. What End ? Not only 
the End of the ThoufandTears, but the End of the World, 
as to the prefent State of it ; and then, as I conceive, will 
be the laft KefurreBion and the general Judgment : After 
the End of which the Kingdom fhall be delivered to God 
even the Father, and God fhall be all in all. The Sum is, 
that as there is a long interval! of Time between the Kefur- 
reBion of Chrift andtheReJurreBion ofthofe that areChrift's 
at his Coming ; (b more than a few Hours or Years will be 
between the KefurreBion of thefe, and the laft KefurreBion: 
and fo much doth the Word [Order] import and imply a 
Biftance of Time ; there being no mention made that I 
know of, of any Rifing of any at Chrift's fecoxid Coming 
but of thofe that are his : And if this be not the Meaning 
of this Scripture, I know not what is. 

The 



Of the firft Reffm-eSlion. 29 

The next Scripture we fliali mention to this Purpofe is, 
that fo much controverted Place, Rev. 20. 4, John in a 
Vifion few the Souls of them that were beheaded for the 
JVitncf of J e fas, and for the Word of God, and which had 

t vjorf hipped theBeajl nor his Image 9 nor received his Mark 
in their Foreheads, or in their Hands ; and they lived and 
reigned with drift a Thoufand Tears ; but the Rest of 
the "Dead lived not again till the 'Thoufand Tears were 
finifeed. So that tis plain by this Text, that feme fhall rife 
a Thoufand Tears before others : and that is here called the 
firft Refarreflion* 

But hecaufe mod Men think that this is not to be under- 
ftood of a bodily Refbrreftion, but of a fpiritual Refurrec- 
tion in Regeneration ; let us enquire what the Scripture 
faith to this Point 3 and what may be faid in Anfwer to thofe 
that are of that Opinion. And here, tis readily granted, 
that Regeneration in Scripture is called Refurreciion ; but 
this feems not to be the Refurre&ion here meant ; but this 
Refurreftion is rather to be underftood of a bodily Refur- 
reftion, and that it cannot be meant of Regeneration, for 
thefe Reafons ; 

Firft, Regeneration or this fpiritual Redirection did 
begin fhortly afterMan'sFall,and hath continued everfince, 
and fhall to the End of the World : but the firit Re fur- 
re&ion here fpoken of did not begin fo early as jldanfs 
Fall ; but is to begin with the Thoufand Tears ofGhriffs 
Reign ; therefore Regeneration is not the Refurreciion 
fpoken of. Again, (Secondly) They were the Souls of 
Men already beheaded which John few ; and their Refur- 
reftion did follow their Death, and not go before it ; and 
twas never known that ever any Man was regenerate after 
Death : and therefore byRefurrection here cannot be meant 
Regeneration. Again, (Thirdly) If by Refurre&ion here 
be meant Regeneration ; it would follow, that many of the 
Saints fliould rife many Hundred Years before theirReign j 
there being no leis Time between their Calling o: Regeti 

E ration, 



30 Of the fir ft Refurretiion. 

. ration, and the beginning of Chriil's Kingdom, or theThou- 
fand Years of the Saints Reign.. Again, (Fourthly) If by 
Refurrecfticn be meant Regeneration ; how can it be that 
they fhould reign immediately after their Refurreftion or 
Regeneration, or begin their Reign all at once, or continue 
k, but a Thoufand Years. 

Or if any fhould fay this Reign is the Saints reigning 
with Christ in Heaven ; fuch muft know that tis on 
Earth, Rev. 5. 10. And if it were in Heaven, it would be 
more than a.Thoufand Years. And befides, after ULsThou- 
Years there will be an ^Attempt of JVar, Rev. 20. 
but nc Enemy was ever fo bold as to engage in a JVar 
in Heaven. And thus we may fee what lamentable Con- 
fequenc ^ if not Abfurdities, will follow upon fuch Me- 
taphorical or ^Allegorical Expofition of Scripture ; where a 
literal Interpretation is not contrary to the Analogy of Faith. 
The next Scripture we fliall take Notice of is John y. 
25. 28; The Hour cometh, and now is, when the T)eadjhall 
hear the Voice of the Son of God and live, ver. 2 5V We are 
not ignorant that this Scripture, as well as that of Rev. 20, 
is by many, if not moft, underftood of fuch who are dead 
in Sin ; who fliall hear the Voice of Chrift in the Miniftry 
of theGofpei,and fliall live y^/ri/M//y,or be regenerate. But 
whether this be the Meaning, or (at leaf!:) the properMean- 
ing of the Apoftle in this Text, we fhall Enquire. And 
here if we view the Context; we fliall find thatChrift fpeaks 
of rpifng the T>ead in a proper Senfe, ver. 2 1 ; and of 
Judgment ta come, in a proper Senfe, ver. 22. & 27. And 
the Occafion of this Difcourfe was, the Cure of the impo- 
tent Man, at which the Jews were offended > and did there- 
fore perfecute Jefus and fought to flay him, ver. 1 6. Chrift 
tells them they Jhould fee greater Works than thefe, that 
they might marvellyVer. 20. he tells them, that the Hour 
was coming, and now is, when the ^Dead fhould hear his 
Voice and live : as if Chrift fhould fay, do ye marvel 
that 1 have healed thisMan that hath been aCripple this 3$ 

Years j 



Of the fir (I RefurreSitGn, 3 1 

Years ; he tells them, that the Hour was Coming when 
the Dead fhould hear his Voice and live : and not many 
Hours after, Chrift did raife up dead Lazarus, and the 
Jews did fee it. Nay not long after that, many deadBodies 
of Saints arofe by the Power of Chrift, and appeared to I 
many ; and for ought I know, to fome of thefe Jews y Mat. 
27. 52, 53 : So that this was fulfilled according to the Let- 
ter. Further, we rauft know that the Word [Hour] in 
Scripture is feldom taken for an Hour properly fo called ; 
but moftly for a longer Time ; and fometimes for Periods 
of Time, as in Mat. 20. mention is made of the third, fixth, 
ninth and eleventh Hour-, and fometimes tis taken for a 
very long Time, even to Tears and *Ages. The Hour of 
Temptation which /ball come upon all the World, Rev. 3,10, 
is a long Hour. And I have heard, that the fame Word 
which is tranflatedi^W, in this Text,is in the 1 Joh. 2. 18. 
jxanflatedT/W, viz. the laflTime : and if there be nothing 
in this fifth of John repugnant to fuch aTranflation \ why 
fliould we not as well read it, viz. the Time is coming, as 
well as the [Hour] is coming. But upon a Suppofition, that 
this former Expofition be not the Meaning of this 25th 
Verfe ; why then may we not underftand the Meaning of 
it to be, the Time cometh when the Dead fliall hear the 
Voice of the Son of God, and they that hear fliall live,viz, 
fliall rife and live, and fo be the Saints o£ the firfl Refur-* 
region, called the RefurreBion of the Juft, Luk. 14. 14 ; 
when God will give Rewards, which is at the Sounding of 
the feventh Trumpet, Rev. 11. 15. 18. For then there is 
a Refurreftion, when the Kingdoms of this World /hall be 
the Kingdoms of our Lord, and when he fhall take to him^ 
felf his great Power and reign. &nd why may not thefe 
be the Saints of the fir ft RefurreEHon ? 

Or if neither of thefe fliould be the Saints 6f the firft 
Refiirreftion ; let us fee if we can find it in wr.28. Chrift in 
this ver. tells the Jews, they fhould not marvel at -what he 
had fpoken before about raifing the Dead/ and the Execu^ 

'E 2 . iiQU 



3 2 Of the firjt Refurrection. 

tion of Judgment ; but tells them, the Hour or Time was 
Coming in zvhich ^iLL that are in Graves Jhould hear his 
Voice, and come forth , &c. I think all Men that believe 
any Thing about a Refurre&ion do underftand, that Cnrift 
in this Verfe fpeaks of a Bodily Refurre&ion. But moft 
take it for a fmgle Refurre&ion, viz. of all Men Good and 
Bad at one Time, at the laft yudgment ; and do utterly 
deny any firft or other Refurre&ion at all. And I confefs 
I fhould be ready to think fo too, had not the farneApoftle 
Rev. 20. told us in ib many Words, that there is a firft 
RefurrecHon ver. f; when fome lived and fome did not 
liye ; and if there be a^r/?Pwefurre£tion, I am fure there 
muft be a laft : and therefore in ver. 1 g, a VThoufani Years 
after the firft Reft rreSf ion, wc read of another RefurrecHon 
to the general Judgment, when the Sea gave up the "Dead 
that was in it, and "Death and Hell gave up the Dead that 
were in them, and they were judged according to their JVorks , 
at the laft Judgment. Some there be that think that there 
is a firft and laft Refurreftion comprehended in this Verfe, 
and expound the Words thus ; the Time is Coming in 
which, i. e. within the Com pa f vj hereof, ALL that are in 
Graves ftiall hear his Voice, and come forth ; they that 
have done Good to the RefurrecHon of Life, at the begin- 
ning of the Thoufand Years ; and they that have done Evil 
to the Refurre&ion of Damnation, when thofe Years are 
ended at the general Judgment : But whether fo or no I 
ihall not determine : But I cannot fee any Reafon to per- 
fuade me to believe, that Chrift in the 25th ver. of this. 
Chap, did intend Regeneration or a fpiritual RefurrecHon ; 
when the Sum of his Difcourfe was about the RefurrecHon 
of the Body and of yudgment to come ; and to {peak of 
Regeneration as a Thing future, which hath been ever fmce 
the World began, I do not underftand : and where there 
may feem to be a double Meaning or doubtful Senfe of any 
Scripture ; It is to be underilood according to the ftibjeft 
Matter fpoken of, and the Scope of the Context : Now 



Of the fir ft Refurrection. 3 



^ 



I am fure that Cbrift fpeaks here of a bodily Rejurrefticn ; 
but I am not fure that he fpeaks of Regeneration. 

For further Proof of this Point, we ihali propound one 
Scripture more to Confideratiqn ; and that is Rev. 1 1. 15: 
At the Sounding of the /event h Trumpet, when the. King- 
doms of this World [hall become the Kingdoms of our Lord 
Jefus Chrift, there is mention made of a Judgment, ver. 
18, and of giving Rewards to his Prophet* and Saints; and 
this is called there the Time of the T)ead, that they fhould 
be judged, fmall and great. And this doth neceflarily imply 
a Refurre&ion, at leaf of Come : For they are not judged and 
rewarded before they are raifed from the dead. But it may 
be fome may fay this is to be underftood of the Refur- 
reflion at the lajl "Day ; and that the feventhTrumpet here 
is meant the lajl Trumpet, to fiimmon the whole. World to- 
gether to the general Judgment. But I fay na : Thai 
Trk?npet is called the Trump- of God, 1 Thef 4, i& ; fo is 
not this. Again, th&i is called the lad Trump, 1 Cor. 15- ; 
fo as after it none was ro found ; fb is rot this. Again, at 
the Sounding of the. fivenfh Ttwipet, the T hoi (find Years 
of drift's Kingdom in this World, is to begin, as hath been 
proved before ; but at the Sounding of the lajl Trumpet, 
or Trump of God it ends ; for then the TVorld ends. So 
that except we will deny theDocirine of xhtThoujand Years ; 
it muft be granted, that the fevenih Trumpet is not the I aft 
Trump : and fb that /^VRcfurrection is not the lajl Refur- 
re&ion, but thefrft : For after this, many Things were to 
be done ; and 'tis faid theNations were angry : And there- 
fore not to be underftood of the lajl. Judgment : For then 
''twill be a vain Thing to be angry. 

Hitherto, or to this Time may be referred that in Pfa. 2, 
When Chrijl fhould be ftt as King in Sion ; there would 
be much Anger, when he fhall have the utmoft Parts of 
the Earth for his PoflefTton ; and fuch of his Enemies as 
would not that he fhould reign over them, be bro't forth 
and flain before him, and broken in Pieces with a Rod of 

, Iron 



34 Of the fir fl Refurrection. 

Iron, like a Potter's VefTel, and deftroy them that deftroy 
theEarth, and give Rewards to hisServants, fmall and great. 
This is called theRefurreflion of the Jufly Luk. 14.14: So 
that we may gather fromhence,that there is a partial or firfl 
ReJurre£fion,znd that of Saints only ; becaafe they that have 
Part in the fir (I Refurreffion, on them the fecond Death 
hath no Power ; but the refl of the "Dead, that is zvicked 
Men, and it may he fome of the Saints alfo, fhall lie fill 
in their Graves 'till the general Judgment ; when all fhall 
appear, Good and Bad, before the Judgment Seat of Chrift. 
And 'tis very like this is the Meaning of that Place, 2 Tim. 
4. 1, where 'tis faid that Chrifl fhall judge both quick and 
dead, at his appearing, and his Kingdom. That is to fay, by 
judging the Quick , that is the Wicked, or fome of them ^ to a 
temporal T)eflru£lion ; and the raifed Saints to be rewarded 
with all the Glory that is promifed to all Overcomers in the 
Newjerufalem,Rev. 2. 7,11,17,27 : Chap. 3.12,21 : And 
as an Addition to all the Reft, they fhall fit with Chrifl in 
his Throne, even as he overcame and is fet dozvn zuith his 
Father in his Throne : And thefe are fame of the Reward* 
that are mentioned, Rev. 11. 18, to be diftribnted to the 
Saints of the firfl Refurreciion ; fo that we may fay with 
the Pfalmifl ; Verily there is a Reward for the Righteous, 
verily he is a God that judgeth in the Earth, Pfal. 59. && 
By This time I hope it is clear that there is a firft Refur- 
re&ion of fome before all, and that of Saints, and Saints 
only. And having fhewed before, what this firfl Refur- 
reftion is not, namely, that 'tis not Regeneration ; let us now 
enquire what it is, and whether it be not a Refurre&ion of 
the Body, and that properly fo called. And to this End, 
Jet us confider, that 20th Chap, of Rev. a little more. John 
is faid there to fee the the Souls of them that were beheaded 
for the Witnefs ofjefus, &c. "What m&y we think is meant 
by Souls : Souls in this Place are put for the c Dead J the 
Souls of them that were beheaded is the fame with the T)ead 
that zuere beheaded. And that is manifeft from the oppofite 

Claufe 



Of the firft Refurrection. * r 

Claufe orSentence ; i.e. the reft of theT)ead lived not a<min y 
vet. 5 ; and therefore the firft are considered as dead. 

Again, 'tis faid they lived and reigned, Sec. What maybe 
meant by this Living and Reigning I By the Lives of the 
Souls of them that were beheaded, it feems to me to be no 
other than the Life of the Body which they did lay down in 
the Death of the Body, and which now in the Refurreaion 
they receive again, to die no more. To evince theTruth of 
this, let it be confidered ; 

Firft, That John fpeaks of the Souls of them that were 
beheaded, that is of thofe that were flain or dead in Body ; 
and he faith that they lived, that is they lived again ; but 
the dead in Body live not again,but by aRefurrecfion from 
the Death of the Body. 

The Argun ent may be thus framed : \ 
The Refurreaion of the Dead in Body, is the Refurrec- 
of the Body, i Cor. 15-. 12, 13. 

But the firft Refurreffion is the Refurreaion of the Dead 
in Body ; for 'tis the Refurreaion of thofe that were behead- 
ed ; therefore 'tis of the Body. 

Secondly, The Text fpeaks of fuch a Refurreaion where- 
in Men lived a Thoufand Years after they be raifed r which 
cannot agree to any other Life or Refurreaion, but the Life 
and Refurreaion of the Body ; therefore this Refurreaion 
is a bodily Refurreaion. 

Thirdly, Such a Refurreaion is here meant as will be to 
the reft of. the dead after the Thoufand Years are ended ; 
who lived not again 'till that be finiflaed, ver. 5 • which 
fhall be of the Body, ver. 12. 13 ; therefore this Refur- 
reaion is of the Body alfo. 

Fourthly, The Men that were beheaded muft fo live 
during the Thoufand Years, as the reft of the Dead lived 
not all that while, their Souls were ftill feparated from their 
Bodies ; therefore thefe muft live in Souls joined to their 
Bodies. And Laftly, Thefe muft fo live at the firft Refur- 
reaion, as the reft fhall live at the fecond Refurreaion; and 

that 



36 Chrifi a King as Medialor. 

that wiJl be in Bodies and Souls united ; which cannot be, 
except they be raifed from their Graves. 

And thus having written before of the fccond or next 
Coming of Chrift, and of the Thoufand Years, and of the 
firft Refurre&ion, and thejudgment of the Quick andDead, 
and other Things coincident ; we fhall write hereafter a 
little more fally to what hath been only hinted already in 
this Difcourfe. 

And Firft 9 Touching the Kingdom of Christ in this 
World. That of John 18.36, being objected againft it, 
where Chrift faith, his Kingdom is not of this World ; for 
the better Underftanding of this, we may takeNotice, That 
when Pilate aiked Chrift if he were a King f hit; Anfwer 
was, thou fay fl that I am a King ; grants the Thing, & told 
him xhztfor that End he -was born, i. e. to be a King. And 
Luk. 19, we read that he was proclaimed King by the Mul- 
titude : and a great Multitude with great Solemnity, to the 
Aftonifhment of the Spe&ators ; All Jerufalem was moved 
at it : Matt. 21. I©, and hejuftified them that did it. But 
it may be faid, every one will grant this, that Chrift is a 
King, and that he is King over his Church ; "in which 
Refpeft he is called JT/flg of Saints, i^.15.3 ; King of S ion, 
J0k.12.1iy, Pfal.i. 6 ; Kingjefus, Afl. 17.7 ; ButQmisT 
is not only King of Saints, butKing of Nations, Jer. 10.7 ; 
and that not only as God equal with the Father, but as 
Mediator alfo : And in that Refpeft he is called God's 
King, PfaL 2.6; And alt Power in Heaven and Earth is 
given to him ; Civil as well as Ecclefiajlical : And there- 
fore in Luk. 1. 32. 33 ; there 'tis faid, that God fhall give 
to him the Throne of his Father David, and that he fbouli 
reign ever the Houfe of Jacob ; and therefore in Mar. if, 
the People are faid to Cry, Hofanna, Bleffed is he that com* 
eth in the Name of the Lord ; bleffed be theKingdom of our 
Father David. But the Throne and Kingdom of T>avid 
was Civil Government. Again, Christ is not only a King* 

but 



of the Extent of Chrift' s Kingdom. 3 7 

but a great King, Mat. S , l$> fo Reference to Jerufalem, 
which is often put for civil State : and not only a great 
King, but King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Rev. 19. 1 6. 
? By all which we may fee,thatChrift is dejure,znd will be 
tie facto, a King; and that not only over his Church, but 
over all the Earth, and that is next to be confidered i e 
the extent of Christ's Kingdom. For this fee Pfal. 2 ' 
He is to have the utmoft Parts of the Earth for his Pofef- 
fion- : Pfal. 22. 28, he is faid there to be Governor amon? 
the Nations : and Pfal. 72.8, his "Dominion is to the Ends 
of the Earth; ver. 13, all Nations /ball ferve him. 'Da- 
rnel alfo fpeaking of this Kingdom of Chrift, fays, it he- 
came a great Mountain and filled the whole Earth, Chap 2 
35 : But more fully Chap. 7. 14 ; and there was <rhin to 
him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom, that all People 
Nations and Languages Jhould ferve him. I fhall add one 
Scripture more to all thefe ; and that is Rev. 1 1. 15, at the 
Sound of the 7 th Trumpet tis faid, then,that the Kingdoms of 
Wis World are become the Kingdoms of our Lor f and of 
his Chrift. By this Time you will underftand what Chrift 

T ea ^^ 18, when hefaid > his Kingdom was not of 
this World ; and indeed he himfelf tells us in the following 
Words, hut now is my Kingdom not from hence: as if 
Chrift iliould fay, I am a King, and mail have a Kingdom • 
but not now, not in this World, but in the World to come! 
For wc muft know that there are more Worlds then one • 
there was the old World which was drowned, and there is 
this prefent evil World : and as the old World was drowned, 
and tne Wicked in it were generally, tho' not univerfally 
deftroyed \>y Water ; Co mil this prefent World, and the 
Wicked that are therein (tho' not ail) be deftroyed by Fire. 
2 Pet. 37; as hereafter we fhall endeavour to mew. 
Alter which there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth, 
wherein dwelleth Rigkteoufnefs : a new Face of Thing,. ' 
a new V/orid : and this is called by the ApoiHe Heh 2 c 
the World to come; when all Things muO be rut in'Sub- 

■f jccYion 



3 8 about the burning of this World. 

jeftion toChrift, ver. 8. And this is the World in which will 
be, or which is Chrift's Kingdom. 

And now to fpeak a little to this Point ; about the End 
of this World, and the beginning of the World to 
come ; and fee what.the Scripture fpeaks to it In 2 let 
a 7 theApoftle tells us,that theHeavens & the Earth which 
are' vow, are referved unto Fire again]} the T>ay of Judg- 
ment, or as fome render it, a Tfay of Judgment, and Per- 
dition of ungodly Men. And this cannot be meant of the 
ultimate Judgment ; becaufe after this, there will not only 
bt z new Heaven ,butz new Earth alfo, wherein dzvelleth 
Riahteoufnefs, that is, righteous Men ; and that they Jball 
build Houfes, and plant Vineyards, and eat the Fruit of 
them, Ifai. 65. 21 ; yea and worfhip God with external 
Worlhip, from one Sabbath to another ; and that not tor a 
little While, but thefe new Heavens and new Earth are*? 
remain, Chap. 66. 22. But what then may we think will 
become of the old Heaven and the old Earth ? Will they 
j!ot ftill have a Being ? For anfwer hereunto we muft un- 
derhand, that the Apoftle in the forementioned Chap, ^doth 
make a Parallel between the Dettruaion of the old World 
and the World that now is ; that as the old World was 
deftroyed by Water, fo will this World be by Fire, pro- 
perly fo called,as to that which is to be deftroyed. For as in 
the old World there was not anAnnihilation of any Thing, 
nor were all Men nor all the Brute-Creatures deftroyed, 
nor were the empyrean or ftarry Heavens then touched ; 
and therefore tis only the zexh\Heavens, with what is con- 
tained in them, which are the Furniture of them, or what 
moves in the Air, that will be the Subject of this Burning ; 
and it may be that which the Apoftle means by Elements 
melting with fervent Heat, which diftinguiflieth from the 
Heavens; for it cannot be that the Elements properly Jo 
called, fhould melt with ferventHeat ; theater not being 
capable of burning or melting ; the Fire is that which 



about the burning of this JVorld. 39 

burns all Things, and therefore not to be burned : and for 
the Earth, as it was not deftroyed by the Flood, tho* much 
defaced ; fo neither will it be deftroyed by Fire, fo as not ' 
to be : but this Fire fhall rather be for the Reftoration of 
it, than theDeftrnftion of it : as aVeftin e Jhalt thou change 
them, and they Jhall he changed, PfaL 102. 6. But that the 
Earth fhall have a habitable Being after the End of the 
Thoufand Years, is clear from Rev. 208; the Devil fhall 
go forth to deceive the Nations that are in the four Quarters 
of the Earth ; and ver. 9, \they went accordingly upon the 
Breadth of the Earth. 

But it may be fome may think, that this Burning of the 
World will be at or after the general Judgment : but for 
ought I know it may be otherwife : for then the Heaven 
and the Earth is faid to fly away from the Face of him that 
fat on the Throne to judge the World : and it hath been 
before fhewed, that after this Burning, there will be a 
new Earth as well as a nezu Heaven. And who can tell, 
but that this may be the Time when that fhall be fulfilled, 
ji&. 2.19,20, when there feall be Blood and Fire and 
Vapours of S?noak ; fo as the Sun fall be darkened with 
it, and the Moon appear as Blood : [as we have lately Teen 
in this Country, Vapours of Smoak have caufed them (b 
to appear :] for that was to be in the lajl Days ; and we 
do not know that ever this hath been accomplifhed : and 
that this is not at the general Judgment but before, is clear 
out of Joel 2.32: For at this very Time when this fhall 
come to pafs, and the World fhall be burned, fome fhall be 
delivered ; for in Mount Sion and in Jerufalem fhall be 
Deliverance, and the Lord hath faid it, ver. 32. 

The Sum is, that at the beginning of the Thoufand Tears 
there will be a greatDeftru&ion of theWicked of theWorld, 
as hath been before fhewed ; and this will be by Fire, as 
the Wicked of the old World were deftroyed by Water : 
and the Apoftle Peter faith exprefly, this Fire is for the 
Perdition of ungodly Men, Paul alfo tell? us that Chrift 

will 



4-0 about the burning of this World. 

will be revealed from Heaven inflaming Fire to take Ven- 
geance on wicked Men, 2 Thef 1. 8. But more clear Ifai. 
66. 15 ; For behold the Lord will come with Fire, and ren- 
der his Anger with Fury, and his Rebukes with Flames of 
Fire ; for by Fire and by Sword will the Lord plead with 
all Flefb, and the Slain of the LordfbaM be many. 

But what then may we think will become of good Men, 
and the irrational Creatures , at this Time, when the World 
fhall be in a Flame ? how fliall they be faved ? Indeed 
this is a Queftion too hard for me, or any Man elfe to de- 
termine ; neither do I know that it is revealed in the Scrip- 
ture : yet for Refolution of this, I propound to Confidera- 
tion ; (Firfl,) That when the World was deltroyed by 
JVater, tis pofTible fome good Men might periih in that 
Deftru&ion ; who feeing that Deluge coming on the World 
might repent, and fo have their Souls faved : and if fo, 
why may not fome good Men be taken away in this gene- 
ral Deftru&ion by Fire, as to their Bodies, and be raifed 
toHeaven, as Elias was, in fiery Chariots, and their Sauls 
be faved. But (Secondly) tho' we do not know how they 
ihall be faved ; yet the ford knows hovj to deliver the godly 
out of Temptation ^ when the Unjuft jball be referved tj the 
*Day of judgment to be puni/bed, 2 Pet. 2.9: and we 
know, that Faith hath quenched the Vhlence of Fire, Heb. 
1 1. 34 ; and that the Fire that burnt up the mofr mighty 
Men that were in Nebuchadnezzar J s Army, *Dan. 3. 20, 
had no Power over the Bodies of his Saints : and there are 
fome who /ball dwell with devouring Fire and everlafing 
Burnings ; when feme Jball not, but ihall be as the burning 
of Lime, and as VThorncs cut up, jball they be burnt in the 
Fire> Ifai. 33. 12, 14, 15 : And there is a Promife, 
J fat. 43. 2, that God made to his People, that when they 
walk through the Fire they jbould not be burnt , neither 
ihould the Flames kindle upon them. 

Again, when God defti oyed the old World by Water, 
God found out a Way to preierve Noah > and his Family, 

and 



about the burning of this World. 4 1 

and Creatures of every Kind ; when as neither Noah, nor 
all the World befides, could tell how it would be, till God 
revealed it. Nor can any Thing that I know be certainly 
concluded, how he will prefer ve hisChurch at this Time : 
but that he will have a glorious Church on Earth, when 
there fhall be a new Heaven and a nezv Earth, is a Thing 
which we muft and ought to believe, which will be after 
all this. 

And as for the irrational Creatures, as Birds and Beafts 
of all'Kinds ; we may upon good Grounds fuppofe, that 
fome of every Kind will be preferved, as they were when 
the World was drowned ; though the greateft Part may be 
deftroyed as they were then. That thefe Creatures fhall 
have a Being after thisTime we may gather fromScripture ; 
becaufe it is faid, Rom. 8, they wait, groan, and travel in 
Pain, But what do they wait and groan for ? is it to be 
annihilated, and have no Being ? we may not think fo ; 
for every Creature by natural inftinft, labours to propagate 
their own Kind, and to preferve their own Beings : and 
therefore tis faid iter. 19, tkat they with earnefl Expectation, 
wait for the Manifeftation of the Sons of God : which whe- 
ther it be at, or during the Time of the general Judgment, 
(as fome would have it) or any Time before, (as others 
underftand ;) it proves clearly they fhall have a Being after 
this Definition made by Fire. Again, they wait for "De- 
liverance from the Bondage of Corruption into the glorious 
Liberty of the Children of God, ver. 2 1 . 

And here we muft underftand, thatGod in theBeginning 
made all Things in their firft Beings very good ; free from 
that Vanity they are now luhject to ; and it was Jubje&ed 
to Vanity after the Fall, not willingly, yet in hope of "De- 
liverance. This Vanity and Bondage of Corruption is the 
Curfe upon the Creature for Man's Sin ; and this is that, 
it waits to be delivered from ; and to be ferviceable to thofe 
Ends for which they were firft made ; i. e. next to the 
Glory of God, for the Ufe and Service of Man. 

And 



42 The groaning of the whole Creation. 

And here, it may not be amifs to enquire, whether wick- 
ed Men may not make Ufe of the Creature without 
abufing them to Sin ? 

There is no doubt to me, but wicked Men, and that by 
God's Appointment, have a right to the Creature ; and 
rnay, for any Thing I know, make ufe of them without 
Offence. It was God that divided to the Nations their 
Inheritance, *Deut. 32. 8 : he gave Mount Seir to Efau for 
a PoJJTeJfion ; and to the Moabites and jimonites their Pof- 
feffions ; and Ifrael was not to meddle with them, *Deut % 2, 
5. 9. But more fully, Gen. 9. 1, 2, 3, God delivered into 
the Hands of Noah, and his Pofterity, fbme of whom were 
none of the beft, the Beafts of the Earth, Fowls of the 
Air, Fifhes of the Sea, and every moving Thing that lives, 
snd the green Herb to be meat for them : and as long as 
they made ufe of them for no other End, who can fay 
the Creature was abufed ? We may rather think they of- 
fend, if they ufe them not, for thofe Ends for which they 
were appointed even by God himfelf : And therefore do 
not yet fee any Reafon to believe, that this is any Part of 
that Vanity and Bondage the Creature waits and groans to 
be delivered from. I am not ignorant, that fome are of 
another Opinion ; who think that theCreatures fhall never 
be delivered from this Vanity and Bondage ; but flill be 
fubjeft to it f@ long as any Wicked Men are in the World 
and make ufe of them : and therefore conceive, that the 
Time when the Creature fhall be delivered from the Curfe 
of Vanity & Bondage it now groans under ,is not before the 
general Judgment, but in and during the continuance of it. 

But for further clearing of this, let us confider ; 
(Firfi) What's meant by ^Adoption, and what by Redemp* 
tion of our Body ; which the Creature, as well as 
Believers, wait for, and groan for, ^Adoption I take in 
Scripture Senfe to be the making one a Son, who was not 
fo before : and this is done to everyBeliever at his firftCon* 
verGon : fo that Believers cannot be faid to wait for this, 

which 



The groaning of the whole Creation. 43 

which they have already received : and therefore Adoption 
cannot be taken in this Senfe here : for they that are faid 
to wait for the Adoption, had the Spirit of Adoption before, 
whereby they cried Abba : ver. 15 : and therefore by Adop- 
tion inver. 23, I underftand, nothing but the Manifeflation 
of that Adoption they were before Partakers of : and this 
is that the Creature waiteth for ver. 19, the Manifeflation 
of the Sons of God. And this agrees dire&ly with 1 John 
3. 1. 2, beloved, now we are the Sons of God ; but it doth 
not yet appear, viz. to the World ; but it Jhall appear : 
But when fhall it appear ? It fhall appear, when Chrijl 
fliall appear ; which we have proved before will be long 
before the general Judgment. This Adoption is called 
the Redemption of our Body : and the Apoftle feems to 
make it all one with Adoption ; but whether it be fb, or no, 
I fhall not determine, but leave it to the Judgment of the 
Learned : and proceed to examine, what may be meant by 
Redemption in this Place. And here we muft underftand 
that,diere are feveral Acceptations of the Word Redemp- 
tion m Scripture, and it may various Ways be underflood ; 
but I fhall mention only two. Firfl, a Redemption of our 
Souls by the Blood of Chrift from Curfe and Wrath and 
all our fpiritual Enemies : and this is done at our firfl Con- 
verfwn, Eph. 1. 7. Rom. 3. 24, 25. Again, there is a cor- 
poreal Redemption ; or a Redemption of our Bodies, from 
outward Enemies, when God will redeem his Church out 
of all their Troubles, PfaL 25. 22 : and this is that which 
hath been fpoken of by all the holy Prophets fince the World 
began ; that we fhould be faved } from our Enemies and from 
the Hands of all that hate us ; that we might ferve him 
%vithout Fear, in Holinefs and Righteoufnefs all the Days of 
our Lives, Luk. 1.70: and this in Ram. 8. 23, is called 
the Redemption of our Body, not Bodies ; but the Body 
viyflical, the Body of which Chrifl is the Head, which is 
his Church. To this Purpofe is that in Luk. 2 1. 27. 28 ; 
when the Son of Man cometh in the Clouds vfHeavm with 

Power 



44 The groaning of the whole Creation. 

Power and great Glory ; then look up and lift up your 
Heads, for your Redemption drcnveth nigh. And this was 
the Burden of that new Song' fbng, Rev. 5, 9. that Chrift 
had redeemed them by his Blood, and that they ftjould reign 
on Earth. And in this Senfe I underftand that in Rev. 14. 
3. 4 ; where the Hundred and forty four Thoufdnd ftanding 
on Mount Sion with the Lamb, are {aid to be redeemed 
from the Earth, and redeemed from among ft Men ; fingtng 
a new Song which none elfe could learn. 

See alfo how the Creatures are brought in rejoicing at 
this Time, when the Lord r.eigneth ; as if it were the 
only Thing they waited and groaned for, PfaL 96 ; The 
Heavens rejoicing, the Earth glad, Fields joyful^ and all that 
is therein ; which comprehend all Land-Creatures ; all the 
Trees of % the Wood ; Sion heard and zvas glad, and the 
^Daughters ofjudah rejoiced. But what is the Ground of 
all this Joy and Rejoicing ? Why, 'tis becaufe of God's 
Judgments on a wiqjked World, in burning up his and our 
Enemies, PJal. 97. 3 ; delivering his Church, vtr. 10. 
Methinks this looks very well like the Time that the whole 
Creation groaneth and travaileth in Pain, for the Fruit ion 
and Enjoyment of. 

But it may be thought, that all this Joy and Rejoicing 
will be during the Time of the general "Judgment. And it 
may as well be thought otherwife, and that it will be long 
before that Time : For at this Time the Earth /ball be 
eftablifhed, that itfball not be moved ; and when they Jhould 
bring Offerings toGod, and come into his Courts, and worfbip 
him in theBeauty ofHolinefs,mth externalWorfhip ; which 
will not be at the ultimate Judgment. 

To all that which hath been already written touching 
this Matter, may be added ; that there ihall be aTime when 
the Enmity of the Creature fhall ceafe, both their Enmity a- 
gainfl Man, and one againft another : For there was no 
fueh Enmity in them before the Fall ; and 'tis no lloali 
Part of the Curfe brought on the Creature, and that Vanity 

they 



The groaning of the whole Creation. 45 

they were made fubje& to,and they groan & travail in Pain 
to be delivered from ; being fubje&ed to it in Hope of 
Deliverance : and it fhall be delivered from this Bondage; 
of Corruption, ver. 22. 

See fomeScriptures to this Purpofe. Hofea 2. 1 6, 1 7, 1 8> 
in the Day when the Church fhould call Chrifl I [hi, and the 
Name of Baalim fhould be taken out of her Mouth ; in that 
Day God would make a Covenant for them with the Beafts 
of the Field, and with the Fowls of the Heaven, and with 
the creeping ^Things of the Ground ; and break the Bow, the 
Sword, and the Battle, out of the Earth ; and they fhould 
lie down fafely. Moreover, God promifeth that in that 
Day he would hear the Heavens, and the Heavens fhould 
hear the Earth, and the Earth hear the Com, and Wine, 
and Oyl, and they fhould hear Jezreel. See here is Safety, 
Peace, and Plenty : and this will be before the End of the 
World. 

But more full is that, Ifa. 1 1. 6, 7, 8, 9, the TVoif fhall 
dwell with the Lamb, and the Leopard Ih down with 
the Kid, and the Calf and the young Lion, and a little Chili 
fhould lead them ; and the Cow and the Bear fhould feed their 
young ones, and lie down together. Here we fee the Enmi- 
ty of the Creatures one againft another fh.aH ceafe ; and not 
only fo, but their Enmity agaimT: Man alfb : So that the 
fucking Child /hall play on the Hole of the -Afp, andthezvean- 
ed Child put his Hand on the Cockatrice Den ; they /hall 
?io t hurt nor deflroy in all God's holy Mountain ; for the 
Earth /hall be filed with the Knowledge of the Lord as 
the JVaters cover the Sea. The whole Chapter is nothing 
elfe but a Defcription of the Kingdom of Chrift in this 
World ; as is intimated to us in theContents of theChapter ; 
and will be fulfilled at or about the Calling of the Jews : 
for it will be in tbatDay, as is clear ver, 1 1 r and it cannot, 
without Wrong to the Scriptures, be referred to the general 
Judgment. You have the fame and much more, If 
from ver. \ j, to the End : znd this will bs frtiea there ih-U 

G be 



46 The groaning of the whole Creation* 

be a new Heaven and a new Earth ; and none in their 
right Underfianding can refer it to any other Time. And 
here we are told that by Wolfe, and Lyon, and Leopard, 
are meant Men of a ravenous Difpofition before Converfi- 
on • which afterward become Lambs : but if fo, then they 
are no longer Lyons and Leopards, but Lambs ; and tis no 
Wonder if they feed and lie down together. Or if any 
Ihould think that by thefe ravenous Creatures are meant 
wicked Men under the Power of retraining Grace : al- 
though tis true, there will be wicked Men at this Time in 
theWor!d,and poffibly may be much underReftraint ; yet tis 
to be doubted, whether they fhall have fuch Intimacy of 
Communion with the Saints, as to Eat, and Drink, and lie 
down together in God's holy Mountain ; or that they will 
be fo tame, that a little Child fhould lead them. For we 
know, there will ftill be Enmity between the Seed of the 
Woman and the Seed of the Serpent ; when the Enmity of 
the Creature fhall ceafe. But what need is there of for- 
faking the literal Interpretation of thefe Scriptures, unlefs 
Truth were endangered thereby ; or to make ^Allegories 
or Metaphors where God makes none ? Thofe that know 
any Thing in thefe Matters, know or may know, that this 
Enmity of the Creatures amongft themfelves, and againft 
Man (which is a great Part of the Curfe) fhall be taken 
away and ceafe ; and they wait in Hope for it, as hath been 
before {hewed : and if fo, why not now ? Why muft it 
be deferred till the general Judgment is begun, or during 
thatTime ? Tis doubtful whether thefe irrational Creatures 
will have aBeing at xheGeneralJudgment : or if they fhould 
have a Being, to be fure they could not be of any Ufe unto 
Men, which was one great End of their Beings. I know 
no Reafon for fuch an Opinion, but this ; that wicked Men 
will abufe them. Such have been told before, that Ufe 
either for Meat or any other Ufe or Employment is not in 
itfelf finful, but lawful and good : and we may not think, 
that wicked Men will be fo apt to abufe them (if at all) 

when 



The new Jerufalem. 47 

when the Devil is in Chains, and they themfelves under 
the ftrift Government of the Saints. And as a further 
Anfwer to fuch, if thefe irrational Creatures fhould have 
a Being during the Time of the general Judgment (which 
is yet to be proved ;) what Children will there be then at 
Leifure to lead them ? or have nothing elfe to do, but to 
play about their Holes ? when fmall as well as great, and 
Children as well as others, muft (land before Jefus Chrift to 
be judged, Rev. 20. 12 ; and the Earth & the Heavens will 
then fly away from the Face of him that fits on theThrone, 
and no Place found for them, ver. 1 1 : and if fo, then no 
Place for thefe Creatures to be, or not to be fuftained in 
any ordinary Way. Methinks Men of Underftanding 
fhould be afhamed of thefe Opinions, which will neceflarily 
draw fb many Absurdities with them, as thefe and fuch - 
others as might be mentioned. 

In the next Place, fomething may be written about the 
new Jerusalem mentioned Rev. 2 1 ; and enquire what the 
Scripture fpeaks to this Point. And herein I lhall rather 
modeftly propofe, than pofitively conclude, in a Matter of 
fuch Difficulty ; concerning which there are fuch various 
Apprehenfions. And here (Firfl) We muft knew that 
Jerufalem in Scripture is divers Ways taken. And firft it 
is taken for a City fo called in Paleftine ; which fome think 
was built by Melcbifedeck King of Salem, mentioned Gen. 
14 ; afterward called Jerufalem : but whether fo or no, I 
fhall not determine : but fure we are, it was in Jojbua's 
Time, J0JI1. 1 o. 1 ; but never conquered by him, tho' he 
flew A.donibezeck who was King thereof ; but 'twas inha* 
bited by the Jebufites 'till *Davidh Time, and then taken 
by him, and became the Royal City, 2 Sam. 5 ; and after- 
wards burned by the King of Babylon, re-edified by Nebe- 
miahy and at laft deftroyed by the Romans ; built again by 
Aelianus Adrianus, but not in the fame Place : but it /ball 
be inhabited again in her own Place P even in Jerufalem, 

G 2 Zcch* 



4S About the new yerufalem. 

Zech. 12, 6. & 14- 10 ; when there Jhall be a new Heaven 
and a new Earthy Jerufalem faall be a Rejoicing, and her 
People a Joy : but I do not underftand this to be the new 
Jerufalem, of which we are now fpeaking. Again, by 
Jerusalem is underftood the Inhabitants of Jerufalem^ as 
in Mat. 3. y, Jerufalem went out and were baptized of John 
in Jordan ; and Mat. 23. 37, Jerufalem is faid to kill the 
Prophets, viz. the Inhabitants of 'Jerufalem. Furthermore, 
by Jerufalem is meant all the People of the Land, as they 
were a civil State and common Wealth : and this is very fre- 
quent in theScriptures of the old Teftament ; Jer. 6. 8, Be 
thou inflruSied O Jerufalem, lefl I make thee a Land not 
inhabited. So Jer. 2.2, G@d bids the Prophet cry in the 
Ears of Jerufalem ; that is, ery that fo that whole People 
*night hear, and underftand : for tho' Jerufalem is only 
named, as being the Head City ; yet the Expoftulation is 
with the whole Land, as may appear in the Sequell of that 
Chapter. See I fat. 24. 23, tis laid there that Ghrift [hall 
reign in Mount Sion, that is his Church, and in Jerufalem, 
that is the civil St ate, for fo I underftand it. PfaL f 4. 7.12, 
Pralfa the LordO Jerufalem, praife thy God O Sion ; i. e, 
both Church and State. Again, tho' the Jewifh Church is 
ordinarily reprefented to us under the Name and Notion 
of Sion ; yet lometimes alfo under the Name 01 Jerufalem, 
PfaL 1 3 7. 6, If I prefer not Jerufalem above my chief Joy : 
'and PfaL 122. 6, Pray for the Peace of Jerufalem ; and 
give him noRe/l till he make Jerufalem aPraife in theEarth. 
In further Profecution of theThing in Hand, we fliall take 
into Confideration, what is mentioned in Gal. 4. 26, to our 
Purpofe : where the Apoftle fpeaks of two Covenants , or at 
lead a two-fold "Difpenfation of the fame Covenant ; the one 
legal, as given by Mofes in the ceremonially^, which con- 
tinued till the Coming of Chrift in the Flefti ; the other 
evangelical, as given by Christ and his ^ipoflles ; and this 
I underftand to be Jerufalem which is above, and is no other 
than the Go/pel Church confiding both of Jews and Gen- 
tiles : 



About the new Jerufalem. ^q 

tiles : and tis faid to be above, becaufe tis more fpiritual and 
glorious : for tho' tis true, the legal Difpenfation of the 
Covenant was glorious, 2 Cor. 3. 7 ; yet that Glory was to 
be done away, and was noGlory inComparifon,byReafon of 
the Glory that excelled* : For if that which is done away 
was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. 
The Church ©f old had many glorious Titles or Epithets, 
as have been (hewed before ; called his Glory, Ifai. 46. 1 2 • 
his Treafure, his pleafant Portion, &c : yet fpeaking of the 
Gofpel Church, Ifai. 62.3, (tiles k the Houfe of his Glory f 
a Crown of Glory y a royal "Diadem. Such and fo high are 
the Titles given to the Gofpel Church ; that many if not 
mod that think any Thing of the new Jerufalem, conceive 
this to be the new Jerufile?n, at leaft in the Inchoation of 
it : but tis poffible fuch may be miflaken : for the Glory 
of the new Jerufale?n y doth as far tranfcend and excel this 
GofpeUChurch, as this doth thai under the legal Diftenfa- 
tion, and much more, and that in many Refpeds, as it may 
be we may hereafter (hew. 

There are others who think, and that not a few, that 
this new Jerufalem is Heaven itfelf : the Description of it 
being fo glorious, think tis impoflible it fhould be in this 
JVorld : and he was once counted a Fool who thought it 
would be in this World : but that tis not Heaven itfelf, we 
fhall hereafter endeavour to (hew. Some others fuppofe it 
(hall be in this World ; and that tis no other then the Jezvifh 
Church after their Converfion to Chrifl or Chriftianity : and 
whofoever reads the whole 60th Chapter will be ready to 
think, that this is new Jerufalem. Indeed, and I muft needs 
fay, it looks very well like it ; and there are many Expref- 
(10ns in it agreeing with the Defcription of the new Jerufa- 
lem^ Rev. z 1 ; and therefore I (hall be flow to think or fay 
they are miftaken ; [tho* I am not of their Opinion.] For 
the Scripture (peaks, very much of the Glory of this Church 
and People, as hath been (hewed before, when it fhall turn 
to the Lord, and the Vail that is upon their Heart fhall be 

taken 



£0 About the new yerufalem. 

taken away, iCor. 3. 16 ; and the receiving them again into 
God's Covenant be as Life from the Dead : and therefore 
fbme have thought that this is the Bride, the Lamb's W"ije. 
What Priviledges they fhall have in the Kingdom of Chrift 
above the Gentile Churches I cannot tell : but the Prophet 
JMicah, Chap. 4. 8, tells us, that they zvere the Tower of 
the Flock, and that the firfl Dominion Jhould come to the 
Daughter of yerufalem : and yet Jew and Gentile are all 
one in Christ Jesus, Gal. 3. 28. 

But'tho' thefe bid very fair for it, yet neither thefe, nor 
any other who have been mentioned, (in my Underftanding) 
are the new Jerufalem of which we fpeak. But in further 
Profecution of the Thing under Confideration, we fhall en- 
quire (Firfl) what it is, and (Secondly) whence it comes. 
To the firfl, what it is : And here according to Scripture 
I underftand it to be, a diflinSf Society of Saints, and of 
Saints only, whofe Names are written in the Book of Life, 
coming down from God out of Heaven ; wholly free from 
Sin, Sorrow, and Suffering ; who have attained to Perfe&ion 
in Grace and Ilolinefs, fo as they need no further Improve- 
ment of external Means of Salvation. Firfl they are a 
Society : therefore called aCity ; the greatCity, Rev.2 1. 1 o ; 
the holy City, ver. 2 ; the beloved City, Chap. 20. 9 ; theCity 
of God, Rev. 3.12; [of Saints and Saints only] : and yer 
not comprehending all Saints ; becaufe there are Nations 
of them that are faved who Jhall walk in the Light of it, 
Chap. 21. 24 ; and they fhall bring the Glory and Honour 
of the Nations into it, ver. 26. Befides, Chap. 20. 9 ; there 
is mention made of the Camp of the Saints, and the beloved 
City ; which feems to imply (at leaft to me) that they are 
diflinfl Societies. No fuch a Society in the pureftChurches 
and in the beft Times ; Tares will be amongft Wheat till 
Harveft, Mat. 13. 29. [Coming down from GodoutofHea* 
ven7\ Tis true, the Gofpel Church is called the Kingdom 
of Heaven ; but not coming down from God out of Hea- 
ven : therefore is not Heaven itfelf;' for it comes down 

from 



About the new jferufalefn. 5 1 

from God out of Heaven, Chap. 21. 2. 10. Again, the 
Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour to it f 
and they Jh all bring the Glory and Honour of the Nations 
into it ; which they cannot bring into Heaven. Again, Rev. 
20. 9, tis faid, that Gog and Magog went upon the Breadth 
of the Earth, and compaffed the Gamp of the Saints and the 
beloved City : therefore they were upon the Earth : for if 
by new Jerufalem be meant Heaven, is a Thing altogether 
impoffible. Furthermore,the Saints o£ the new Jerufalem are 
free from Sin, Sorrow, and Suffering : (i) from Sin ; there 
is nothing in it that defileth, Chap.2 1.27 ; but Sin defileth : 
(2) They are free from Sorrow, ver. 4 ; no more Sorrow, 
nor Crying, nor Pain : and alio free from Suffering ; for 
Suffering is always attended with Pain : But in other Saints 
there will be Sin, and therefore Sorrow and Suffering, to 
the End of the World. Again, thefe have attained to Per- 
fection in Grace and Holinefs, fb as they need no further 
Improvement of external Means of Salvation : no Temple 
therein, no Need of Sun and Moon, to fhine therein ; for the 
Glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the Light 
thereof^ ver. 22. 23 ; noJSight there, nor Need of Candle, or 
Sun ; for the Lord giveth them Light, Chap. 22.5. But 
we know that external Means of Salvation will be needful 
for fome till the End of the World ; by which Souls may 
be brought home to, Chrift. 

Thus having given what my Apprehenfions are in this 
Matter, and fhewed what this new yerufalem is not, and alfb 
what it is and whence it comes ; let it be enquired into, 
where fuch a Society of Saints and Saints only, according 
to the former Defer iption, may be found. And here, as I 
premifed at firft, I will not be pofitive, but propofe to Con- 
fideration, whether they may not be the Saints of the firft Re- 
furrecfion mentioned Rev. 20 ? That fbme Saints fhall rife 
before others,is clear in thatCbapter,in the beginning of the 
ThoufandYears, as before : whether all Saints or no, I fhall 
not determine : that fbme fhall not then live when thefe are 

raifed, 



5 2 About the new yerufalem. 

raifed, is as clear ; whether Saints, "or Sinners, or both, is 
left to Confideration. That there will be Saints and $In> 
tiers in the World, during that whole Term of Time, and 
fo until the End thereof, and to the End of the World, we 
have good Ground from Scripture to believe : that Chrift 
will appear long before the End of the World or ultimate 
Day, hath been formerly proved : that when he cometh, 
he will come with all hisSaints, Zecb. 1455. Jude 14 : and 
why not thefe Saints that come with Chrift be the new Je~ 
rufalem coming down from God out of Heaven, who are to 
live and reign withChrifl a Thou/and Tears, Chap. 20 ; and 
that on Earth, Chap. 5. 10? Again, why may not thefe be 
the Spirits of jufl Men made perfect, and Church of the 
firfl born to which we are come, Heb. 12.23, or w ^at elfe 
is the Meaning of that Place ? Once more, why may not 
thefe be thofe whofland on Mount Sion with the Lamb, Rev. 
14, and follow him whitherfoever he goes, which are re- 
deemed from among Men, being the firfl Fruits unto God 
and to the Lamb ; who were without Fault before the 'Throne 
of God ? and are diflinfl from the four Beafls and the El- 
ders, which I underftand to be the Church which will be 
at that Time. If thefe or fome of thefe be not the new 
yerufalem I know not where to find it. 

I know that very few are of this Opinion, that the raifed 
Saints are the New yerufalem ; but rather think that the 
New Heaven and New Earth, ot which Peter fpeaks, 2d 
Epiflle, %dChap. 13. are the New yerufalem. For Refo- 
lution in this Cafe, and as an Addition to what hath been 
already written; I fhall propofe to Confideration, (1.) Whe- 
ther thinking fo, or faying fo, without any Proof, will make 
it fo ? (2dly.) the Apoftle yohn makes them two diflinft 
Things, Rev. 21. 1,2. The New Heaven and New Earth, 
feems to be quite another Thing ; and I underftand it to be 
no other than ih^yevjifb evangelical Church , reprefented to 
us after a legal Manner by the Prophet Ezekiel y under the 
Name & Notion of a City zn&Tempk ; which is like to be 

the 






About the new jferufalem. 53 

the moll glorious Church that ever was in the World ; Vis 
more than poffible, that this may be the New Heaven and 
Nevj Earth, when Jerufalem fball be a Rejoicing, and her 
People a Joy, Ija. 6$. 17,18; being called there thtNezv 
Heaven, and New the Earth. 

And yet notwithstanding this New Heaven and New 
Earth\ as it is difcrlbed by Ezekiel, differs in many Ref- 
pe<5ts from the Nezv Jerufalem ; as will appear by compar- 
ing John & Ezek. together. For, firft, In the Nezv Jeru- 
falem, there is no Temple ; for the Lord God .Almighty, and 
the Lamb are the Temple thereof Rev. 21. 22 ; but that 
City mentioned by Ezekiel had a Temple, Chap. 41. 1,4; 
implying that there iliould be external Worfhip : And what 
elfe is the Meaning of the Priejls and Offerings fb ofteii 
mentioned there ? See Zee. 14. 16. Again,, in the Niio 
Jerufalem the River of the Waters of Life, proceederh out 
of the Throne of God and the Lamb, Rev. 22. 1 ;' but in 
that Houfe mentioned by Ezekiel, Chap. 47. 1 ; the 
Waters (not the River of the Waters of Life) iiTueth from 
under the Threjbold of the Houfe, at the South Side of the 
Altar/ (Thirdly J In the nezv Jerufalem is the Tree of 
Life on either Side of the River, ver. 2. but by thatRiver 
that fliall iiTue out of the San&uary of that City in Ezekiel 
fhall grow Trees -for Meat, Chap. a t j. iz. Again, once 
piore, and once for all, this City new Jerufalem comes dozvn 
from God out of Heaven, and whither doth it come but to 
the new Heaven and nezv Earth ? for the frfl Heaven and 
Earth were paffed azvay, R.ev. it, t, 2 ; they Jhall not be 
remembered,nor come intoM.indjfai.6^. 1 7. All thefeThings 
Ipeing confidered, it feems to mc impoffible that this ijeia 
Jieaven -and nezv Earth fhould be the fame with the ;?^:' 
Weryfalem, The Sum is this ; Peter tells us of a rezvHea- 
%sn and nezv Earth, and Ezekiel of a City and Temple ; 
lit neither of them tells us that either of thefe is the nezv 
erufalem : It remains then that mdjoln'only (for 

^ht I know) fpCaks of thh rieh/Jertifahm : And for 

oiv. 



54 About the new yerufalem. 

ought I yet fee,that which hath been already propofed inland 
touching thisMatter, is mod likely to be the new Jerufalem* 
It may be thought/ that enough, if not too much, hath been 
written about this Matter, and lefs might have been better : 
but if it be not true, it is too much ; and if it be true, tis 
too little. I having obferved how much Men differ in their 
Apprehenfions about it, have considered the more of it : and 
however fbme Men may think it but a fmall Matter, yet 
they may be miftaken : if they are the true Sayings of God, 
felefled are they that read and hear them,G6^-. 1.3: and this 
new yerufalem is no other then the Bride , the Lambs JVife ; 
as is clear from Rev. 21.2, compar'd with ver. 10. 

But it may be fbme will fay, tis impofTible, for Souls 
coming down from Heaven after their Bodies have been 
raifed from theDead, and Bodies and Souls united together, 
to live on Earth and converfe amongft Men who are in a 
State of Mortality. But that may be poffibie, which to us 
may feem impoffible 5 for with God all Things are poiTible, 
Mat. ip. 26. And we know Christ did fo, after his Re- 
iurre&ion forty Days together : and doubtlefs Mofes and 
Elias both in Souls and Bodies appeared to fome of the 
Apoftles, Mat. 1 j. 3, and they took great Delight and Con- 
tentment therein* And why then may not the raifed Saints 
be fo reprefented, as to have and hold a holy and heavenly 
Correfpondency with Men on Earth ; appearing and difap- 
pearing at Pleafure, even as Chrifl did before he afcended. 
Again 5 why not raifed Saints as well as .Angels ? who ap- 
peared both to ^Abraham and Lott, Gen. 18. 2 ; & 19. 1 ; 
as Men with human Bodies, eating of fuch Things as were 
fet before them : yea Christ himfelf after hisRe/i/rreSfion, 
is faid to eat a Piece of a broiled Fijh, and of an Honey 
€omb y JLuk. 2^. 42. 

Thus having written already fomething of the next or 
Jecond Coming of Chrift, of the firft Refurre&ion, of the 
new Jerufaiero, and feveral Things to come ; I ihall in the 

next 



About Gog and Magog. 55 

nextPiace write fbmething of Gog & Magog ; who, by the 
Irrigation of theDevil, ftiall be gathered together at theEnd 
of the loooTears to engage in a War againft theCamp of the 
Saints and the beloved City, mentioned Rev. 2 o. 9. And 
here we fliall enquire firft, who this Gog and Magog may 
be ; and whether this Gog and Magog mentioned by John, 
be the fame of whom Ezekiel fpeaks, Chap. 38, and 39. 

The Scripture indeed fpeaks of Magog, \#ho was one of 
the Sons of Japhet, Gen. 10. 2 ; 1 Chron. 1.5 : but I do 
not remember it fpeaks of Gog until the Time of 
the Prophet Ezekiel, Chap. 38. 3 ; where he is men- 
tioned as the chief Prince of Mefhech andTuball : Neither 
do I remember that ever I read or heard of any one Nation 
that ever were called by that Name : and therefore I think 
they are a Compound of many Nations, reprefented to us by 
that Name, both by Ezekiel and John, as will appear by 
comparing Ezekiel 38. 5, 6 y with Rev. 20. 8 ; they were 
fuch as the Prophets of old had fpoken of, ver. 1 7, byftm&. 
other Name. 

The next .Thing to be enquired into is, whether this G$g 
and Magog mentioned by Ezekiel be the fame which the 
Apoftle John fpeaks of Rev 20. For clearing of this, we 
may confider, (firft) the "Time, when thefeEnemies of God 
and of his Church fliall appear in Arms ; and (2dly) with or 
againft whom they Ihall engage; and (3dly) the Occafion 
or moving Caufe thereof. (Firft) for the Time : and 
here we muft underftand, that Gog and Magog fpoken of 
by Ezekiel are to be Contemporaries with the Jews either 
at the Time or not long after their Return to their own 
Land ; as appears by the whole Story, Chap. 38. & 39, to 
which the Reader is referred. (2dly) The Perfons againft 
whom they are to engage in this War ; and they are prin- 
cipally the Nation of the Jews, tho' it may be not only 
with them. (3dly) the Occafion or moving Caufe : and 
that feems to be, either the Weaknefs of that Nation at this 
Time, as not being yet fettled in their own Land, or their 

H 2 Security* 



5 6 About Gog and Magog. 

Sccurity,or both, as ver. r i ; but it was chiefly to fpoil them, 
or to make a Prey of them, as ver. 12. And now let us 
confkier, whether thefe Characters will agree with that Gog 
w&jMagog fpoken of before Rev. 20. {Fir ft) as to the 
Time of this War ; the one being at or not long after the 
Return of the Jews to their own Land, P * reparation 'there- 
unto will be under the pouring out of the 6th Vial ; and 
the ether will not be till the End of the Thoufand Years, 
and after the loofing of Satan out of the bottomlefs pit. 
(.2cl!y) One will engage principally againft the Jezvifo Na- 
tion ; but the other will be againft the whole Church of God, 
confiding both of Jezvs and Gentiles ; reprefented to us 
under the Name and Notion of the Camp of the Saints, and 
the beloved City, (gdly) As to the Occafwn of this War, 
viz. the Weaknefs of this People, or their Security, or, both, 
or to take or make a Spoil pf them, in the one ; but no 
fuch Thing is hinted, nor can be fuppofed concerning the 
other. But that which will put all out of doubt, that this 
Gog & Magog mentioned by Ezekielk not the lame fpoken 
of by John, is this ; in the one, we have a Prophefy of a 
Battle, a great Battle, and fuch as was never heard of before 
in the World ; but in the ether, no Battle at all, no Stroak 
{truck on either Side : for when once this great Battle is 
over, they fiall learn War no more, Swords mufl be turned 
to Plow Shears, and Spears to pruning Hooks ; when God 
fha\l judge the Nations and rebuke many People, I fat. 2. 4. 

In further Profecution of the Matter propofed to be 
fpoken to, welhall find, that the Scripture makes mention 
of tpree great Battles which are yet future ; or it may be, 
one Battel foretold in three feverai Places of Scripture, viz. 
by two Prophets and one JLpoftle, viz. by Joel, Ezekiel and 
John '; and it is called by John, Rev. 16. 14, the Battle of 
the great "Day of God Almighty. Somewhat of this Battel 
hath been fpoken of before Page 17, to which the Reader 
is referred. I ftiall fpeak a little more of it here. You 
have been- told there. cf the Kings of the Earth and of the 

whole 



About Gog and Magog. 57 

whole World being, gathered, together : we tell you now, 
tis God that gather eth them together : Joel 3.2, I zvill ga- 
ther all Nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jeho- 
Jbaphat : m& Ezekiel 38. 16, (peaking concerning Gog and 
Magog, God faith, I will bring thee again ft my Land ; and 
fo Rev. 16. 16, He gathered them into a Place called Ar- 
mageddon ; for fo I am told the Word may be rendered, 
Again, they all three declare, that this Warlike Afiembly 
will be principally againft the Jews, Chap. 38. 8, 16; Joel 
3. 1 ; Rev. 1 6. 12 ; and that it will be in the Land of 
Judea that they lhall be deftroyed : And they all fhew, 
the dreadful Effects that will follow, Chap. 38. 19, 20 ; Joel 
3 . 15.16; Rev. 16. 18, 19,20. And all agree that when this 
Battle is over, there will be a peaceable and profperous State 
of the Church ; this being the laft Battle that ever will be 
fought in the World, So that if we view thefe Scriptures, 
we fhall fee that they all fpeak of the fame Enemies, ga- 
thered together by the fame Hand, engaged againft the fame 
People, at the fame Time, upon the fame Occafion, to be 
deftroyed in the fame Place ; and the fame EfFefts to fol- 
low, viz. terrible to the one, and comfortable to the other. 
So that you fee this War is not a War, in which, the Ene- 
mies of God ihall fight one againft another, as they often 
do upon divers Oecafions ; but it will be a Combination of 
them all againft Christ and his People, and fpecially his 
antient People. And thefe are as I underftand the Gog and 
Magog intended by Ezekiel ; and the Gog and Magog 
mentioned Rev. 20, are the multiplied Poflerity of 
thofe fevj of the Nations that fhall be left when this Battle 
is over, at the beginning of the ThoufandYears ; when the 
Gog and Magog, foretold by Ezekiel, fhall be deftroyed in 
Armageddon. 

o 

But yet notwithftandingall that hath been faid, tis very 
likely there will be great Wax?, and much Blood fhed, and 
the Jews after their Return to their own Land will be much 
diminifhed& brought very low,as we may read \rfDan.\i. 1 ; 

There 



58 About Gog and Magog. 

There Jhall be fuch aTime of Trouble as never wasfince there 
was aNation even to that fameTlme ,and at thatTime Jhall thy 
People be delivered: and the Prophet Zechariah tells us, 
that many of them Jhall be cut off and die, Chap. 13. 8 ; the 
City taken and Houfes rifled, and Women ravifhed, before 
the Lord go forth and fight againjl thefe Nations, in the 
Battle of the great T>ay of God Almighty. For tis a great 
doubt to me, whether all this while that Nation will be 
converted to Chrift and embrace Chriftianity, until they be 
in their own Land, and this great Battle be over. For tis 
very unlikely, confidering how thefe dry Bones lie fcattered 
mo(f Parts of the World over, and do hardly know them- 
felves of what Nation they are, much lefs do others know, 
and it may be fpeak divers Languages, and how the Gofpel 
fhould be preached to them and to their Underftandings, 
and by whom and in what Tongue, and whether feeing 
they have had the Gofpel preached at lead to their Prede- 
cerfors already, who did rcjeft it, and as they ftill do ; what 
Probability is there, that they will now readily embrace it, 
and that fo fuddenly, fb as to be born in a Day ; who hath 
heard fuch a Thing ? who hath feen fuch Things ? fhall 
the Earth bring forth in one Day ? or fhall a Nation be 
born (or new born) at once ? for as foon as Sion travelled 
fhe brought forth her Children, Ifai. 66. 8. I rather incline 
to think, that God will fome Way or other, firft bring them 
into their own Land, and give them Advantage to return by 
drying up the River Euphrates, that is as I conceive by 
diminiihing and abating the great Power of the Turk in and 
about that Part of the World ; and that either by inteftine 
Commotions, or Wars with other Nations, or both ; that fb 
a Way may be prepared for thefe Kings of the Eafl to re- 
turn : and this is to be done under the pouring out of the 
fyh Vial : and now is the Time when thefe dry Bones 
ivill come together and fland upon their Feet, and become an 
exceeding great Army, and have Breath breathed into them, 
and have a civil Life put into them, but no fpiritual Life 



About Gog and Magog. 59 

till they be in their own Land, and at the Sound of the -jth 
Trumpet and the pouring out of the -jth Vial : and after 
this great Battle, when God will deftroy all Nations that 
come againit Jentfalem, then he will pour upon them the 
Spirit of Grace & Supplication ; and then,will Christ per- 
finally & vifibly appear , and they /ball look on him whom they 
have pierced and mourn, with a penetential Mourning : and 
when his Feet fkall jland on the Mount of Olives, from 
whence he afcended, then he will come and all his Saint? 
with him, Zech. 14. 3.5. And this is the great *Day of 
Jezrkel, when the Children ofjudahand the Children of 
Ifrael Jkall be gathered together and appoint them one Head, 
Ho/. 1 . ult ; when the Lordjhall be King over all tkeEarth, 
Zech. 14.9; and all the Kingdoms of this World become 
his, Rev a 1. 15 : and now will Michael ft and up, the great 
Prince, which ft andeth for the Children 0/* Daniel's People ; 
and then they fhall be delivered : and all this a Thoufani 
Tears before the general Judgment. 

The Sum of all>and that which I intend is this,viz. That, 
iheGog & Magog fpoken of by Ezekiel is not the fame fpoken 
of byy^tf Rev. 20 ; nor any oneNation,butaCompoundof 
manyNations,who fhall engage in aWar,not one with another,, 
but principally with the Jews ; and that after theirReturn to 
their ownLand,Way being made for them,by theWeakening 
of the Turkijh Power on the Borders of Euphrates ; and 
after manyConfli&s the Jews will be brought very low and 
much diminifhed ; and many Nations fhall be gathered to- 
gether in Battle againft them to deftroy them ; this Battle 
fpoken of by Ezekiel, Joel and John ; yet no fpiritual 
Life till the Sound of the jth Trumpet and the pouring 
out of the jth Vial, which probably will be by Chrift him- 
felf; when they fhall be converted to Chrirtianity, partly 
by Vifion, Chrift perfonally appearing to them, whom they 
fhall look upon and fee with their Bodily Eyes and mourn, 
under a deepSenfe of theirSin ; and then tis likely will cry 
out as thpfe cpnvgrted Jnvs. A3. 2* 3 J, JVhatJhall we do f 

and 



60 "The pouring out of the Spirit. 

and as Paul when ftruck down, Lord what wilt thou have 
me to do ? then poffibly the Gofpel may be preached to 
them, as it was to thofe, and three Times three Thoufand 
converted at one Sermon, and that FulfiPd the Prophet 
fpoken of before, that a Nation it born at once, and their 
Feet be accounted beautiful that bring thefe glad Tidings 
to them; and then, and never till then, will they fay, 
blejfed is he that comet h to its in the Name of the Lord, 

And now (God aflifting) I fhall write a little about the 

POURING OUT OF THE SPIRIT UPON ALL FLESH, which IS 

yet future, at leaft in Part, and as to the full Accomplish- 
ment thereof, and as a Concommitanf of all thefe Things, 
from Joel 2. 28, 29 ; // fiall come to pafs afterwards that 
I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flefh, &c« 

And here feveral Things offer themfelves to Confidera- 
tion ; as^fr/? what's meant by Spirit ; and what by pour- 
ing out ; as alfo who are the Subjects of it ; together with 
xhzEjfetts thereof; and then laftly, as to the 'Time when 
this fhall be, intimated in the Word afterwards : fomething 
may be written briefly to thefe Things. , 

And firfl what's meant by pouring out of the Spirit, 
And here we muft know, that the Communication of the 
Spirit is reprefented to us in Scripture more Ways than 
one, as fometimes by T),onation, \John 3. 13, God is faid 
there to give us his Spirit : John 14. 16, God the Father 
is faid there to give the Comforter, which is his Spirit : Luk. 
11. 13, how much more fhall your heavenly Father give his 
Spirit to them that afk it I Again, fometimes tis reprefented 
to us by Miffion, or fending : Jehn 14. 26, Chrift tells 
them, that the Father would fend the holy Ghofl that fhoald 
teach them all Things-. And Chap.- 16. 7, he tells them 
again, he would fend the Comforter : Gal. 4. 6, God is faid 
there to fend forth the Spirit of his Son into our Hearts. 
Sometimes alfo, by Afperfion, or fprinkling : hence Chrift 
is faid tofprinkk many Nations ,Ifai. 52, 15 ; and to fpr inkle 

chart 



"The pouring out of the Spirit. 6 r 

clean Water upon them, Ezekiel 3 6. 2 £■■; which I underfland 
of the Spirit. Again, fometimes by Infufion or putting his 
Spirit in us, Ezekiel 36. 27 ; and Chap. 37. 14. And the 
laft that I fhall mention is, by Ejfujion or pouring out of ' 
his Spirit upon us ; as in the Text propofed to be fpoken to, 
Qu«red alio by the ApoJHe Peter ;, A$. 2. 17 : we have 
the fame Expreflion of pouring of the Spirit h Ifai. 44. 3 ; 
as a!fb Chap. 32. 15-, where the Spirit is promifed to be 
poured Gut frjii on iiiyh: we have the like Expreflion, 
Zech. 12. 10: there is -roc Scf.oture more, and ail that at 
pref-:nt is with me, where this Expreffion of pouring out 
the Spirit is ufed, and that is Prov. 1. 23, heboid I will 
pour out my Spirit upon you, &c. But what may we think is 
meant by pouring out ? Pouring out in Scripture doth ordi- 
narily, if not always fignify, an Abundance of that which is 
poured forth : as when God brings Abundance of Wrath on 
a People, he is laid to pour out his Wrath, as we might ea- 
fily inftance in Scripture : hence we read of fo many Vials 
of Wrath which were to be poured out on them that were, 
the Subjects of them until they were deftroyed, Kgv. 16 : 
the like is faid when God promUeth Abundance of Mercy, 
he is faid to pour it out y as in Mai 3. 10 : God faith there 
that he would open the Windows of Heaven and pour it 
fuch a Blejfing as there poind frot be Room to receive it. 
So that we fee what is meant by pouring forth. 

The next Thinq to be Inquired mro is what is meant by 
Spirit which is thu poured out ? By Spirit in this 

Place, I do not underf and the Perjon of the Holy Spirit : 
tho' that is faid to dzvell in all Believers, and if any Man 
hath not the Spirit of Chrif he is none of his, Rom. 8. 9 ; 
2 Tim. 1. 14 : Neither do I think, by Spirit here is. meant 
the ordinary Gifts of the Spirit, which every Believer re- 
ceives at his firft Converfion. But I think by in 
this Place is meant a plentiful [Effufipn of the Gifts of the 
Spirit, which are extraordinary : as will evidently a- pear if 
we compare thisText with Ad. 2. 17 ; and take theApoftle 

I Peter's 



6 2 "The pouring out of the Spirit. 

Ptf ^Commentary on the Words. For it cannot be denied, 
but that the Apoftles, and for any Thing that I know,others 
that were with them at Jerufalem after Chrifl was afcended, 
they all had received the ordinary Gifts of the Spirit at 
their firft Converfion ; and yet they were to wait there for 
the Promife of the Father, which Chrift hath told them 
of before, Luk. 24. 49 : But what was this Promife ? only 
of more and higher Degrees of the ordinary Gifts of the 
Spirit which they had already received ? I cannot think fo ; 
and theConfequence doth make it evidently to appear that it 
was otherwife. But zvben and where was this Promife of 
the Father made which they were to wait for ? The Apoftk 
Peter when they began to fpeak with other Tongues, Aft. 
2.4; in the 1 6th Verfe tells them, that this was that which 
was fpoken of by the Prophet Joel ; and therefore this in 
my Underftanding is the Promife of the Father which they 
were to wait for ; confifting only in the pouring out of 
extraor 'dinar jGifts both of Tongues, Prophefy andMiracles. 
The next Thing to be confidered, is the Subjects or Re- 
cepients upon whom the Spirit was thus to be poured out : 
and that the Prophet tells us, and after him the Apofile, that 
tis upon all Flefb. By all Flefh, here we are not to un- 
derftand all Mankind, as tis taken in Gen. 6. 1 2 , where tis 
faid that all Flefb had corrupted their Way. No, nor are 
we to underftand it of all Saints neither ; but fame of all 
Sorts and Sexes, viz. Jews and Gentiles, young and old, 
Male and Female, Sons and Daughters, Servants and Hand- 
maids. And there were above an Hundred be fides the Apo- 
ftles, and that Women as well as Men^ aflembled together at 
Jerufalem, waiting for this Promife: Afl.i. 14. 15, and 
they were all with one Accord in one Place ; Chap. 2.1, and 
they were all filled with the holy Ghoft, and began to fpeak 
with other Tongues as the Spirit gave them Utterance ; and 
that not only w^onJews,b\\x. w^onGentiles,^\{6 were poured 
out the Gifts or the holy Ghoft, as we may fee ASi. 10.45, 
46. Upon Cornelius, his Family, and his Kindred, and near 

Friends, 



The pouring out of the Spirit. 63 

Friends,ver. 24 : and in Chap. 19. ver. 2, we read ofDif- 
ciples that were Believers and doubtlefs had received the 
ordinary Gifts of the Spirit, and fuch as were faving ; and 
yet were Strangers to thefe extraordinary Gifts, till Paul 
laid his Hands on them, and then they received thefe ex* 
trq$rdinary Gifts, zx\& fpake with Tongues and did Prophefy; 
and tis very likely thefe were Gentiles. The firft Effe& 
then that followed after the pouring out of the Spirit was the 
Gift of Tongues ; the Gofpel being now to be preached to 
all the World, and the Difciples being mod of them, if not 
all, unlearned Men ; the Wifdom of God faw it neceflary 
in order thereunto, to give them to fpeak and to underftand 
all Languages, that thole Nations to whom they were to 
preach might underftand what was fpoken. Tis true indeed, 
this Gift of Tongues, nor Miracles, is not mentioned by 
Joel : but yet Peter tells us, and we muft believe him, that 
when they thus fpake with Tongues, this was that which 
was fpoken of by the Prophet Joel ; without which they 
could not Prophefy, or preach the Gofpel to all Nations, or 
to the Edification of them to whom they were to fpeak. 

The next Thing therefore we fhall take Notice of is 
that which is mentioned both by the Prophet and the Apo-> 
files f and that is Prophefy. Prophefy in Scripture is fome* 
times taken for a foretelling of Things to come : much 
of what the Prophets fpake in Times paft was then future 
when fpoken : the whole Book of Revelation is called a 
Prophefy, Chap. 1.3; and yet when made known to John 
was all future, ver. 1. But I do not underftand Prophefy in 
this Senfe in this Place, (tho* I do not know but God may 
fometimes in an extraordinary Way, make known to fbmc 
of his Servants Things to come) for there were Prophets in 
the primative Times, as we may read ASf. 13. 1 ; vsBarna* 
has and Simeon , and Lucius, and Manaen^ and Saul ; and 
thefe were called their Teachers. We read alfb A £?. 11.27, 
of Prophets which came from Jerufalem toAntioch y of whom 
ydgabus was one, who fignifiei by the Spirit that there foould 

I 2 b$ 



64 The pouring out of the Spirit'. 

be a great jD ] earth in all the World y which came to pafs hi 
the "Days of Claudius Caefar : and in Act. 15. 32, we read 
of Judas and Silas that were Prophets : and Act.iy. 7, 
tis faid there were twelve -f>ifciples at Ephefus which did 
frophefy : and the Apoftle Paul, who was more than a 
Prophet, ipeaks very much of Prophets and Prophejying, 
1 Cor, 12. & 14 ; and faith exprefly, that God hath fet in 
his Church next after Apoflles, Prophets : and we read not 
only of Prophets, but Prophetejfes alfo, Act. 21. 8.9. 
Philip the ^Deacon had four ^Daughters that were Virgins 
that did Prophefy. I do not think, that all good Men and 
Women could Frophefy : the Apoftle feems to deny that, 
I Cor. 1 2 ; Are all Prophets f are all Teachers ? do all 
work. Miracles ? or do all fpeak with Tongues f but there 
are T)iverfity of Gijjs, but the fame Spirit ; as the Apoftle 
fhews at large 1 Cor. 12. And indeed it was for this very 
End, amongft others^ that Chrijl afcended to give Gifts to 
Men ; and that not only ordinary, jfeut extraordinary , and 
the Gift of Frophefy as well as others, Epk. 4. 1 1 : and 
Chrift told his Difciples, that if he did not of end, the Com- 
porter would not come : but had they not the faving Pre- 
ience and Power of the Spirit already, and the ordinaryGifts 
of the Spirit long before this Time ? yea doubtlefs ; there- 
fore it muft needs be meant not of higherDegrees & greater 
Meafures of the ordinary Gifts of the Spirit only, but of 
thofe which was extraordinary. 

And the Effeci of pouring out the Spirit was, feeing of 
Vifions and dreaming of 'Dreams ; of which I iliall write 
a little, and but a little. We know that God revealed his 
Mind to his Servants, and fometimes to others alfb in the 
old Teftament, often by Vifions 9 and by ^Dreams. Abra- 
ham had a V if on, Gen. 15. i ; and tis like 2, c Dream alfb 
ver. 12. Jacob had a \Drea&, Chap. 31. 1 I : Jofeph had 
twoUr earns : Mofes had zVifon, Exod. 3. 2 : "Job had his 
^Dreams and Vifions, tho' they v/ere a Terror to la)m, "Job. 
7. 14 : Jfaiah had Vifions . Chap. 1, 1 ; & 6. I : Ezekiellxyl 

many, 



The pour i?ig out of the Spirit. 65 

many, Chap. 1. 1. And we read in the New Teftament, 
ycjeph had a 'Dream to fly into Egypt, and a Dream to 
return out of Egypt, Mat. 2. 13. 19 : the zvife Men were 
warned by a Dream, not to return to Jerufalem, ver. 12. 
Zecharias had a Vifion,. Luk. 1. 2.2. J^nd after the fending 
of the Spirit by extraordinary Gifts, Annanias had a Vifion 
AH. 9. 10 : Cornelius had a Vifion, Ael. 10. 3 : P^r alfo 
faw a Vifion, ver. 1 7 : Paul had a Vifion % A3. 1 6. 9 ; yea 
more then one, for he had as many as he could well bear, 
2 Cor. 12. 1 : much of the Revelation was made known to 
John by Vifion. And tis likely, the Effe&s of pouring out 
the Spirit are not all recorded in Scripture : yet we muft 
and ought to believe, that either they have been or lhall be 
fulfilled : but it hath been fhewed that it hath been poured 
out in an extraordinary Way upon Jezvs & Gentiles, young 
and old, Male and Female, Servants & Handmaids. Now 
of other Effects, about the Sun being turned into Darknefs 
and the Moon into Blood, we have written fomething of this 
before ; and therefore iliali forbear to write of it here j 
and come to 

The lafi Thing propofed to be fpoken to ; and that is 
the Time to which this Prophefy doth refer, held forth, in 
the Word Afterward. This Word Afterward, feems to 
refer to fome remarkable Time which was to go before it : 
and trie Apoftle Peter renders it in other Words, ASi. 2. 
17,// jhall come to pafs in the lafi Days : but both the 
Prophet and Apofile agree in this, that tis a mofl remarka- 
blePeriod of Time,aFore-runner of the great & terribleDay 
of the Lord, as the Prophet fpeaks ; and the Apofile after 
him calls it the notable Day of the Lord. And indeed, whe- 
ther we take it as paft, or future, it hath been both notable 
and terrible, and will yet be more notable and terrible, when 
this Prophefy /hall be fully accompliflied : Notable to the 
People of God that call on him ; for they lhall be faved, , 
ver. 2 t : but terrible to his and their Enemies ; for they » 
fliall be dedroyed : Multitudes, Multitudes in the Valley 

of 



66 The pouring out of the Spirit. 

cfT)ecifion,for the *Day of the Lord is near in the Valley of 
T)ecifton t "Joel 3.14. The right Underftanding oftbeTime 
to which this Prophecy refers, will give great Light to the 
Point under Confideration. 'Tis true indeed, this Prophecy 
was it* Part fulfilled immediately after Chrift's Afcention : 
but that there is yet a further Accomplifhment of it to be 
expe&ed, will eafily be made to appear ; for fome prophe- 
tical Scriptures may be fulfilled more than once : but to 
fpeak a little more fully to the Time. 

There are two remarkable Periods of Time recorded in 
Scripture, befides the ultimate Period : the one is already 
faft>xht other is yttto come : the one at Scfoon after thefr/l 
Coming of Christ ; and this Time was much fpoken of in 
the Scriptures ; and this the Apoftle calls theFulnefs of Time, 
Gal. 4. 4 : and this was a moft remarkable Time, when the 
Son of God became the Son of Man to fave poor loft Men ; 
This was a great T)ay 9 and many great Things were done 
at thisTime : The Way of inftitutedWorlhip wholly chang- 
ed, and the ceremonial Law abolifhed, and another Way 
appointed by our Lord Jefus Chrift inftead thereof ; the 
Levitical Priefthood laid afide or changed, and Gofpel Mi* 
nifters appointed to fupply that Place ; the national Church 
ceafed ; the Jews rejecting the Gofpel, are caft off; and 
the Gentiles receiving theGofpel, are taken into theirRoom ; 
City and Temple ruined ; the Nation, Multitudes, Multi* 
tudes deftroyed, the reft feattered all the World over ; the 
Gofpel to be preached to all Nations ; to that End, extra* 
erdinaryGifts are given, and manyotherThings done which 
might be mentioned : And therefore this was a great T)ay f 
both notable & terrible : And this Peter calls the I aft T) ays ; 
it /hall come in the laftDays : Paul alfb calls Gofpel Times, 
the laft T> ays ; Heb. 1. i, in thefe laflDays God hath fpoken 
to us by his Son. There is alfo the latter Part of the laft 
T>4ys ; and this is alfo called the laft Days, Ifa. 2.2. The 
Prophet there tells us, that in the laft T)ays the Mountain 
eftbe Lord's JJbufe Jhall be eftabltjhei in the Top of the 

Mountims t 



Tie pouring out of the Spit it. 6 7 

Mountains ,& be exalted above thetiills : And left anylhould 
think this harh been already fulfilled,the 4th Verfe will tell 
us no ; for it will be whenSwords muft be beaten intoPlow- 
Jhares, and Spears into Pruning-Hooks, and when theyjbould 
learn War no more : And Paul tells us, that in the laftDays 
Jball come perilous Times ; that is the latter Part of the laft 
*Days, 2 Tim. 3. 1 : This is called alio the latter Times, 
I Tim. 4. 1, when fome /ball depart from the Faith. Job 
tells us, that Christ Jball /land at the latter T>ay upon the 
Earth y Chap. 19. 25. Baalim alfb prophefied what great 
Things God would do for Ifrael in the latter T>ays. I will 
advertife thee what this People (hall do to thy People in the 
latter T>ays, Numb. 24. 14. Hofea alfb fpeaking of the 
Calling of the Jews, faith it will be in the latter T>ays ; 
Chap. 3.5, they Jball fear the Lord and his Goodnefs in the 
latter T)ays. So that we fee there is the lajl Days, and the 
latter Part of the laft T>ays ; and yet all this long before the 
ultimate T)ay. 

There is yet another remarkable Period of Time which is 
yet future ; and that will be at the fecond or next Coming of 
Christ. His firft Coming was to put away Sin by the Sa- 
crifice of himfelf ; his fecond Coming will be without Sin to 
our Salvation, of which we have written before : his fir ft 
Coming was mean in outward Appearance ; hhJecondComs/ig 
will bt unfpeakably glorious, with Power and great Glory, 
Matt. 24. TVhen he comes to buildup Sion, he will appear 
in his Glory, Pfe. 102. 16: Then he will come with Ten 
Thoufand of his Saints, and take unto himfelf his great Power 
and reign, and all the Kingdoms of this World become 
his, Rev. u. 15 ; deal wonderfully with and for his Peo- 
ple, Joel 2. 26. 

I do not know any one Thing in Scripture more infifted 
on, than the Glory of the latter Part of the laft fDays, in- 
cluding the Thoufand Tears of the Kingdom of Chriit, until 
the laft Jud grnent. A fhort Account of feveral Things 
which will then be done, have ajready been given in this 

Difcourfe : 



68 "The pouring out of the Spirit. 

Difcourfe : but 'tis beyond my Underftanding to declare 
what greatThings are yet to be dene in the World, and how 
much of Prophecy is yet unfulfilled. And among other 
Things, there will be a more full Accomplifiiment of the 
pouring out of the Spirit in converting Grace, and the/h;- 
ing Gifts and Graces of the Spirit, both upon Jezus and 
Gentiles ; when the Spirit (ball be poured out from ouHigh, 
Ifa. 32. 15 ; and the Wilder nefs (that is as I underftand 
the Jews be called J becomes a fruitful Field, and the fruit- 
ful Field becomes a For eft ; that is the Fulnefs of the Gen- 
tiles be brought in. There is a double Fulnefs of the Gen- 
tiles ; one is from the Time of the Jews Rejection, until 
their Converfion : This is called, the Riches of the World, 
and the Riches of the Gentiles, Rev. 11 . 12 : And this is 
alfo called, the Fulnefs of the Gentiles, ver. 25. There' is 
iXfo.antther Fulnefs o£ the Gentiles ; and that is to com- 
mence foon after or in Conjunction with the Calling of the 
Jews ; and this is clear from Rom. 11. 12, compared with 
ver. 15. From the Fulnefs of the Jews, there will be a 
greater Fulnefs to the Gentiles than ever they had before : 
It will be Life from the Dead, ver. 15 : for the Gentiles at 
this Time, in all Likelihood, will be in a low Conditional! 
the Glory of the Lord be rifen upon the Jews ; T)arknefs 
will cover the Earth, and grofs T>arknejs the People, Ifah 
60. 2 : and that not only to the Body of Gentile Nations, 
but wife as well as foolifh Virgins will htflumbering and 
fleeping ; little Faith on Earth, when the Son of Man Com- 
eth ; little Hope of reviving the Work of Converfion, till 
this Time be over. We have a fad Defcription of the latter 
Part of the laft Times, immediately preceeding this remar- 
kable Time before fpoken of, 2 Tim. 3. And tis very 
likely, that thofe GentileNations, that do not now come in, 
will never come in, nor be converted : Upon them Jhall be 
no Rain, that come not to Jerufalem to worfbip the King, the 
LordofHofls, and to keep the Feaft of Tabernacles, Zech. 
14. 17, 19 : And this will be a remarkable Time and a 

great 



The pouring out of the Spit it. 6 9 

great Day, when the Children of Judah, and the Children of 
Ifrael Jhall he gathered together, and appoint them one Head ; 
it will then be the great "Day ofjezreel, Hof 3. 5 : Yet I 
do not underftand this Day to be the great and terrible Day 
of the Lord^ of which Joel fpeaks ; ior that is to be After- 
ward ; thkt is, after the Jews^t called, and the Fulnefs 
of the Gentiles are come in to the Obedience of the Gofpel. 
Neither do I- conceive, that yet either Jew or Gentile had 
received any other Gifts of the Spirit than thofe that were 
ordinary : neither were extraordinary Gifts ever given to 
any (that I know of) but to thofe who were already con- 
verted \ nor given together with faving Grace, and the ordi- 
nary Gifts of the Spirit : Neither do I think, that the Pro- 
phet doth intend at all any other Gifts but fuch as are ex- 
traordinary in this Prophefy : for if when the Gofpel was 
firft to be preached to all Nations, God faw that extraordi- 
nary Gifts were neceflary ; and therefore thp' the Apoftles 
had Commiflion to go teach all Nations, Mat, 28. 19 ; yet 
they muft tarry at Jerufalem, till they were furnilhed with 
extraordinary Gifts : and why are not extraordinary Gifts' 
necedary as well now, as they were then, the Cafe being 
the fame ? Tis true, by Virtue of their former Commiffion, 
they did preach to the Jezvs, but were forbidden to go into 
the Way of the Gentiles till now : And as Chrift gave ex- 
traordinary Gifts for the Publication of the Gofpel to all 
Nations, fo he appointed extraordinary Officers for that 
Work ; fome *Apoj}les, fome Prophets, fome Evangeli/ls, 
Eph. 4. 1 1 ; and gave them fuitablePower for theExecution 
of their refpe&ive Commiilions : And w@ have good Reafon 
to believe, that when the Gofpel was preached to all Na- 
tions, the End being attained, that thefe extraordinary Gifts 
of Tongues, Prophefy, andMiracies, ceafed ; as the Apo'ftle 
foretold they fhould, 1 Cor. 13. 8 ; and confequently there- 
withal 1 extraordinaryOffjcers^wA whatPower they had beeii 
veiled withal. And for ought I know, this may be a good 
Anfwer to thofe that are of Opinion, that there is Church 

& Power 



7 o *The pouring out of the Spirit. 

Power refident in fome other Ecclefiaftical Perfons befides 
ordinary ftatedChurchOfhcers : but if there be fuch anOrder 
of Men in the World, pray what may we call their Names ? 
have they Scripture Names ? are theyApoftles, or Prophets, 
or Evangelifts ? or can they work Miracles ? or have they 
the Gifts of Healing ? Christ always gives Names to all 
his Officers, and ftates the Duties of their Places ; and if 
they are extraordinary Officers, they muft have an extraor- 
dinary Call : but hac obiter : [i. e. by the Way^ 

And now having written briefly what may be meant by 
Spirit in this Prophefy, and what by pouring out upon alt 
Flefli, together with the Ejfefits of it, and fometbing as to 
the Time, viz. the laft Days as Peter renders it ; all which 
hath been Aceompliftied in Part or in whale : That there 
is yet a further and future fulfilling of it, is more than pro- 
bable : and that will appear, if we view the Context both 
before 'and after. It will be m thofe Days and at that 
Time when God will bring again the Captivity of Judab 
andjerufalem, be jealous for his Land and pity his People, 
do great Thing for them, deal wonderfully with them, 
ver. 2 6 ; whenjudah floall dwell forever and Jerufalem from 
Generation to Generation ; and after he hath poured out 
upon them the Spirit of Grace and Supplication, Zee. 12. 1 a ; 
and they be converted to Chriftianity. When thefe Things 
fhall be fulfilled, all which is yet to come, then afterward 
the Spirit fhall he poured out on all Flefh ; then, and not 
till then : and all this will be before the great and terrible 
'Day of the Lord come. For further Demon-fixation hereof, 
let it be confidered, that the Gofpel muft be preached both 
to Jews and Gentiles ; tis likely generally, if not to all 
Nations : how tKeJhall they believe in him of whom they 
have not heard ? and how fhall they hear without aPreacher ? 
and how fhall they preach except they be feni ? Jo then Faith 
comefh by hearing : I might afk how fhall they underftand 
what they hear, except it be fpoken in their own Language ? 
Tis poffible, they may receive Convi&ion of Unbelief, by 

Vifion 



"The pouring out of the Spirit. 7 £ 

Villon, by looking on him whom they have peirced, and 
other Gentile Nations together with them : for when he 
comes with Clouds, every Juyejhallfee him. Rev. 1.7: but 
yet there is fpmething more neceflary to Salvation befides 
Con virion of Sin. The Jews were convinced and pricked 
at the Heart, Act. 2.37 ; but yet they did not know what 
to do, till Peter told them, that they mufl repent and be bap* 
tized before they could receive the Gift of the holy Ghofl. 
Paul was convinced both by Voice and Vifion ; but yet did 
not know what to do, nor would Christ tell him, but fends 
him to Ananias, and he was to tell him, what he fliould do, 
•Act. 9. 6. The Jay lor was convinced by an Earthquake ; 
but yet did not know what to do to be faved, till told by 
Paul and Silas. 

Christ hath a great Harvefl yet to fetch in, all the 
World over, both among Jews and Gentiles ; and it will 
not come in without a great many Hands ; and we pray for 
the Coming in of it ; but never think of Hands : but 
Christ will find Hands and qualify them for his Service ; 
he did fo at his lafl Harvefl ; he poured out his Spirit upon 
them by extraordinary Gifts, without which they could not 
Work : and why may we not think he will do it again ? 
Theflme Promife of the Father, by Vertue of which the 
Spirit was then given, for any Thing I know, ftill remains 
good, and is not out of Date, nor fully accomplifhed till this 
Work be done alfo. And if we pray the Lord of the Han- 
veft to fend forth Labourers into his Harvefl, he will do it, 
tho' we cannot tell who or what they will be. 

And when this Harvefl is over, Christ hath anotherHar* 
vefl ; and this is a great Harvefl: too : and this muft be done 
with other Inflruments, Swords and Sickles, Chap. 3. 10. 13 : 
Plowfhares mufl be beaten into Swords, and Pruning»hooks 
into Spears : when their Wickednefs is great, then theHar- 
veft is ripe ; and then put in the Sickle. We have a fur? 
therDifcription of thisHarvefl, Rev. 14. 1 6 ; where Christ 
|s brought in, or reprefented to us 7 Jitting on a Cloud with a 



7 2 The pouring out of the Spirit. 

fvarp Sickle in his Hand ; and an Angel crying to him^ 
thrufi in thy Sickle, and reap, for the Harveft of the Earth 
is ripe ; and he that fat on the Cloud thruft in his Sickle, 
and the Earth was reaped. 

The fame Thing is fignified to us both by Joel and John 
by a Vintage, and the Cry of an Angel to him that had the 
Jbarp Sickle, to thruft in his Sickle and gather the Cluftors 
of the Vine of the Earth, for her Grapes are fully ri-he ; 
and the Angel thrufi in his Sickle into the Earth, and gather- 
edthe Vine of the Earth, and caft it into the great IVine* 
prefs oftheJVrath of God ; and the IVine-prefs was trod- 
den without the City ; and Blood came out ofthelVine-prefs, 
even unto the Horfe Bridles, by the Space of a Thoufand and 
fix Hundred Furlongs. And this \ underftand to be the 
great and terrible T>ay of the Lord, of which the Prophet 
ipeaks in this Context ; and the Battle of the great "Day of 
God Almighty, Rev. 16. 14 ; mentioned alfo Zei\ 14.2. 3, 
and elfewhere in Scriptur,e. But of this I have written 
more fully when we fpake of the g^reat Battle of Gog and 
Magog, to which the Reader is referred : and this I con- 
ceive will be the pouring out of the laft Vial, when the 
great Voice Jh all be heard out of the Temple of Heaven and 
from the Throne, faying, it is done ! 

Thus although I have written but a little, yet it is more 
than I intended when I.firft began, but not half fo much as 
might have been written to every one of thefe Things, nor 
by far what hath been written by others upon thefeSubje&s : 
but I would not impofe upon any Man's Underftanding, 
nor be" offended with fuch as are otherwife minded : yet 
they may do well, without Prejudice, impartially to fearch 
the Scriptures, and feje whether thefe Things be fo or no ? 

And now for a Conclusion, I Mil promote feme ufeful 
Confiderations touching what hath been mentioned in this 
iJifcourfe. And, firft, we may take Notice, by this little 

: Sp, how much and how many great Things God hath yet 

to. 



Ufeful Confederations. 7 3 

to do in the JVorld ; how much of the Prophetical Part of 
the Scripture is yet unfulfilled ; how many great and glo- 
rious Things are yet unaccomplished, which are to be done 
now m this laflAge of theWorld ; in theDeliverance of his 
Church & People out of the Hands of all their Adverfaries, 
Power, and the Definition of all the Enemies of Chrift and 
his Kingdom ; in bringing about all his glorious Defigns, 
which he hath purpofed in himfelf, and hath promifed the 
Accomplifhment of for his own Glory, and the Advance- 
ment of the Kingdom of Chrift in this World ; when all the 
Kingdoms of this World fhall be his, and he fhall reign, 
and his Name be great from the rifing of the Sun to the 
going down of the fame : a little, and but a little thereof, 
hath been hinted in this Difcourfe. 

I further propofe, that feeing thefe Things, and many 
Things more which might be named, mnft come to pafs ; 
what Manner of Per Cons ought we to be in all holy Conver- 
sation and Goiline/s ? Looking for, and haftening to, the 
Coming of the Day of God, and our Lord Jefus Chrift ; 
that w r e may be found of him in Peace, without Spot and 
Blamelefs at his Appearing, and be like good Servants, 
having our Loins girt and our Lights burning ; waiting for 
the Coming of their Lord ; and looking for that blefled 
Hope, and the glorious Appearance of the great God and 
our Saviour Jefus Chrift : and blefled is that Servant whom, 
when his Lord cometh, he fhall find fo doing ! 

I likewife propofe to Confideration, that it is agreat c Duty 
incumbent on all Chrifliaris at all Times, not only to wait, 
but to watch. Hardly any Duty more preft in Scripture 
than this ; Chrift forefeeing that wife Virgins as well as 
fooiifli would be apt to /lumber and/leep, when he fhould 
come. This watching is that which is in direct Oppofition 
to carnal Security : we fhall give a fewlnftances. The 
Apoftle 1 The/ 5. 6, fpeaking of the Day of the Lord 
Coming as a Thief, he warns them to watch and be fiber. 
Luk. 2 1.36, Chrift, upon the fame Confideration, gives the 

like 



74- Ufeful Confderations. 

like Council, watch & pray, that ye may be counted worthy 
to (land before the Son of Man : And Mark 13.33, Chrift 
gives Caution, to take Heed watch and bray ; for ye know 
not when the Time is ; and ver. 35, watch ye therefore ; 
for yc know not when the Mafter of the Houfe cometh : 
Again, Mat, 24. 42, watch therefore ; for ye know not 
what Hour your Lord doth come : all which implieth, that 
Chrift would come in fuch a Time, when the World would 
beajleep: at Midnight was the Cry made, behold the 
Bridegroom cometh ; in a Time wherein he is not looked 
for ; and in a Time of general Security ,when Men flxall fay 
Peace and Safety, and as a Snare that Day will come on all 
them that dwell on the Earth. God hath made every Man 
a JVatchman ; Mark 13. 37, That which I fay unto you 
I fay unto all, watch : but fome zxtjb in zfpecialManner, 
by Office ; and tis very dangerous for thofe to fleep, and 
caufe others fo to do by their Example : the evil Servant 
did not fay in his Heart, that his Lord would never come ; 
but he thought (as many good Servants now do) that it 
would be a great While firft ; not till the general judgment, 
and then he knew he would come. Oh let none of Chrift's 
good Servants fay, as he did, my Lord delays his Coming, 
and fmite your fellow Servants who are in Expe&ation of 
him. You lhould be always ready ; or your Lord will 
come in an Hour ye think not of. And this Coming is not 
meant only by Death , or, in any other Way of common 
Providence; for fo he is always Coming, and ever hath 
been ; tho' this may be alfo intended : but there is aComing 
of his in an extraordinary Way ; I mean a perfonalGoming, 
when he will not come alone, but bring all his Saints with 
him : and he hath told us fo, Zee. 4. 5 ; and told us alfb, 
why he will come, and what he will do at his Coming ; that 
tis for the Perdition of ungodly Men, 2 Pet. 3.7; and to 
execute Judgment on them all, Jude 15 ; and to fet up his 
Kingdom which he is gone to receive, and to return. Thefe 
zxtfome of fat great Bufwejfes about which he (pomes : and this 



Ufeful Conjiderations. 75 

being over, I do not know but that he may withdraw his 
bodily Prefence, and leave the Government of hisKingdom 
to his Saints : for I fee no Scripture Grounds for his per- 
fonal Prefence any longer. Sure I am, that when he comes 
to the general Judgment, he will come from Heaven : and 
this is that Kingdom the Jews are in Expe&ation of, and 
which is fo little, too little taken Notice of by Chriftians* 

But fome may fay, what doth this concern us ? we are 
never like to live to fee this Coming of Chrift. To them 
I fay, as Chrift did long ago, of that T> ay and Hour know eth 
no Man. 

And now what Matter of Joy and Rejoicing is this to 
all thofe that love the Lord Jefus Chrift in Sincerity. Tho' 
they have never feen him with their bodily Eyes ; yet be-< 
lieving, rejoice with Joy unfpeakable and full of Glory : 
who now fee him but darkly in the Glafs of the Gofpel, 
what Joy and Rejoicing may we think there will be when 
we fliall fee him Face to Face ? when he fhall appear we 
fhall be like him and fee him as he is, ijohn 3.2; fee 
him in all his glorious Excellencies and Perfe&ions ; lee 
him Coming in the Clouds of Heaven with Power and 
great Glory the fecond Time, without Sin to our Salvation ; 
fee him that hath loved us and fhed his Blood for us, borne 
the Curfe and Wrath of God for us, and is now appearing 
as an Advocate with the Father for us ! Oh what a Heart- 
raviftiing Sight will this be to every fincere Soul ! Abraham 
faw but a little in Comparifbn of this, and that afar of, and 
he rejoiced and was glad, Job. 8. 56. And how did Job 
comfort himfelf in this, in the midft of all his Mifery, that 
he knew his Redeemer lived, and that he fhould ftand in 
the latter Day upon the Earth, and that in his Flefh he 
fhould fee God, and that his Eyes fhould behold him and 
not another, Job 19. 25. 26 ! How were the ^Difciples ra- 
vifhed with but a Glimpfe of' his Glory which they were 
Eye Witnefles of, when they were with him in the Holy 
Mount, 2 Pet. 1 ; Mtf/,17.4 ! And good old Simeon was fo 

tranfported 



76 Ufeful Confederations. 

tranfportcd with the Sight of him in the Days of his Flefh, 
and when a Child, that he defired to live no longer ! And 
tis but a little While, before he that fhall come, will come, 
and will not tarry ! Oh then all ye his Saints lift up your 
Heads, for your Redemption draweth nigh, and comfort 
yourfelves with thefe Words. 

And now to conclude ; what remains but that zue pray 
with greatefl Inftancy and Importunity, and that continu- 
ally, for the Accomplifhment of all thefe Things ; pray 
that Christ's Kingdom may come, that his Will may be 
done in Earth as it is in Heaven; pray for the Peace of 
Jerufalem ; keep not Silence Day norNight, give theLord 
no Reft, till he make Jerufalem a Praife in the Earth ; pray 
for the Coming of the new Jerufalem down from Heaven ; 
pray for the Deftru&ion of the Kingdom of Darknefs ; pray 
for the bringing in both of Jews and Gentiles to the Obe- 
dience of the Gofpel, that there may be one Sheep-fold 
under one Shepherd Jesus Christ : to this End pray that 
the Spirit may be poured out from on High ; pray that the 
Times of refreshing may come from the Prefence of the 
Lord, when God will fend Jesus ; pray for the Times of 
the Reftitution of all Things, jiSl. 3. 21 ; pray fof* the 
Accomplifhment of all Piomifes, and for fulfilling of all 
Prephefies ; pray for the Coming of Christ : let theSpirit 
and Bride fay come ! Let him that heareth fay come ! I 
add, Let him that readeth this, fay come ! Rev. 22. 17 : 
and xhtiAnfwer will be, Behold I come quickly, ver. 7 ; and 
behold I come quickly, ver. 1 2 ; and my Reward is with me, 
furely I come quickly, ver. 20 ; quickly, quickly, quickly ! 
Amen ! Vent T)omine, Jesu, vent Cito ! 

So prays thy poor unworthy Creature, 
IThe .Author of this T)ifcourfe ; 
Written with his own Hand, 
In the Seventy Ninth Year of his Age, 
And in the Year of our Lord, 1687* 

F I N L S. 






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^r I Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 

Treatment Date: August 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 11 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 



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